First and foremost I apologize to all the senior colleagues for rearing up my head, being a just an MD-80 SFO, and being mostly a lurker on this forum. I read the posts here regularly, trying to learn from the mistakes others make but this thread is really starting to miss the point IMHO.
I truly do not understand this Bus vs Boeing discussion developing - the AF guys departed all procedures and common sense, and would have, in my opinion, have done the same, had the airplane in question been a C172. Full use of automation in marginal weather is, at least for me, common sense. I handfly every approach below 10000ft, when the airport environment is calm and the weather is fine, with fatigue within reasonable limits. Adding workload at CDG is just poor judgment. Especially since a possible GA will mean most probably not flying the published procedure, but being vectored half a dozen times within a few minutes, and handed off to several different frequencies, as we have all been in the past. Secondly, Boeing, Airbus, or my relic-class MD, a GA is a GA, throttles in the firewall / GA detent, pitch up. TOGA-tap is just...silly. GAs ate not meant for passenger comfort, but for getting out of a bad place, and fast.
Fly it automatic, fly manually, but fly it. Pitch down and 70ft clearance is not an Airbus issue - that's a very serious proficiency issue.
Just my 2c. Ready for my whipping now.
