Okay Seriph, I tought that was exactly what I said as well.
Pilots should be able to perform all manoevres 100% perfect by flying Raw Data as well as using the automatics!!!!!
But what about if you where flying an approach all raw data (No AP/AT/FD) and you are instructed to do a go around....In many cases there will not be enough time to reengage automatics (except the FD which reengages automatically when setting ToGA)....When you where flying a hand flown approach you should be able to do the same during the event of a Go Around!!
Also it is a misconception that the automatics in an airbus will compensate for the pilots skills! I have flown both Boeing and Airbus and I have to say that the automatics in an airbus are much tougher to handle and sometimes really are totally against Human Nature! Do not forget as well that the whole fly by wire system has several stages of degradation which means that an airbus (Normal stage is normal law..)becomes difficult to handle when it degrades from normal law into Alternate law-Direct law and mechanical back up!!!!
From Direct law on these aircraft requires a lot of stick and rudder so stating a pilot can afford to be less skilled .....NO WAY!!!!
A bus driver has to be equally skilled as in any other advanced airplane and has to really know all his systems....despite what Airbus is trying to say in its commercials!!!They as well need to study up and invest time to keep their knowledge up to date!!!Otherwise an Airbus becomes an unpredictable and consequently dangerous aircraft in the hands of a badly trained pilot!!!!