Hand Flying vs Automatics
Not commenting on whether the sound is genuine but the thread title "Hand Flying vs Automatics" is a good question.
As professional pilots we should be able execute a hand flown visual approach with proficiency. The trouble is some operators seem to discourage such approaches these days. When on the B 737-200 it was common to hand fly all the way to top of climb and then from top of descent to landing, if the conditions and the environment was suitable to do so. I have even flown to Tenerife and back from the UK with no autopilot because it was unserviceable!
Am I against automation? Not at all. Am I against OFDM keeping an eye on what we are doing? Once again not at all. But we have to ask the question how can we retain our basic flying skills without practice. Also in an emergency you might have to maneuvre the a/c beyond the normal "limits". I am just glad that early on in my career I flew with pilots who really could fly the a/c and were able to pass on their skills and advice so that I could also do the same. Sadly we now have a generation of pilots coming along who have not had the benefit of practising same. I believe this is not good for future flight safety.