Deltayankee, if you nudge the yoke enough it will indeed disconnect the A/P. Not the same story with A/T though disconecting these by moving them can theoretically be achieved, under certain circumstances already posted, it has little or no practical use.
MU3001A, my perception is that introducing A/T it's not like adding more holes, as I see it, you remove some holes and introduce new ones in a different spot. The trick consists in introducing less holes, or in a better place than what you remove.