@captplaystation: The choice of the two should vary infinitely depending on airport/crew/experience/perceived alertness on the day
Absolutely right 
And I have no problem, if someone decides to fly only one ´training approach´ (only IMC counts) out of 10 or whatsoever.
But if someone NEVER switches off the automatic in a 5 days tour, and says the sim missions are enough training for him, something is dangerously going wrong. If a colleague doesn´t find the disconnect buttons although he is above glide with high speed and the A/T is just adding full power something went really wrong the last years. (If you NEVER switch this FD off when you have no pressure, why should you do it when in panic ?) Our confidential safety recordings show those incidents in dramatically rising numbers. Until today we were lucky, but you can´t run an airline by luck.
Last edited by Baron737; 19th Mar 2009 at 17:54.