but most airlines training programs encourage using the 'automation' anyway and you'll find guys who'll freak out when you don't.
Dead right about that. To take it to a ridiculous degree, at least one Australian regional airline flying turbo-props employs cadet pilots as second in command with a total of 250 hours and "strongly recommends" (for that read do as you are told) they use the autopilot as much as possible even to flying CAVOK circuits on autopilot as long as they disconnect the autopilot by 100 feet. These are the airline captains of the future brought up on a diet of fear of hand flying.