I fully respect the benefits of automation. I also respect the benefits of technology. I advocate what I call Human Performance Augmentation, as opposed to human substitution. Give me GPWS, so I have an "aracnid sense" of ground dangerously close. Give me TCAS, so I can "see" airplanes miles away and know their relative position, altitude and rate, and how to avoid crashing into one. Give me an ND and RNAV capability so I know my position and the relative positions of runways, navaids, routes, etc... with just a glance. Give me a stall warning (or FBW envelope protections) so I won't stal nor exceed any limitations.
Give me anything thant makes me better, more capable, more powerful. Enhance me, don't substitute me. Because I am valuable piece of biological technology (which took millions of years to be designed ) that makes all the others twice as much powerful.
Give me automation to be able to maintain a perfect situational awareness even in the most demanding circumstances. But don't make me unable to cope safely enough with the same situation should the need arise. Don't degrade my brain (the "hand" part of hand flying is in fact brain). Keep it fit.
If hand flying skills are allowed to be degraded (and they are, if all you practice is one hand flown approach in the sim every six months) for the sake of supposed better safety by means of AP only flight, then MAY DAY should be transmitted in case of an automation failure in flight.
Same as in case of a crewmember incapacitation.
And MEL should say NO GO for any autoflight item u/s.
Throwing away handling skills and relying exclusively in automation is an error. Automation is one of the greatest inventions in aviation, but must be used by a skilled hand flyer to be totally safe. Otherwise a large part of that potential high safety is lost.
It is not so difficult. Just a few approaches every month, and a few take offs too, when circumstances are good. Hand flying when it doesn't compromise safety improves overall safety.
CAT III ops are very complex landings. So we have to practice in sims. But manually flown approaches can also be needed, so why shouldn't they be practiced as well? however, a monitoring skill needs less practice than an acting skill. In CAT III all you need to do, is monitor that everything is OK and intervene only if something is wrong. But you have to carry out a manual approach yourself. It requires much more practice, and more recurrently.