What the hell did we ever do without an FMGC?
Before the FMGC, we also did not have to worry about FOQA as well and so we had a lot more freedom and commonsense.
Sure I can eyeball it and fly it, however I a more concerned about satisfying the company requirements for a stable approach without setting of FOQA alerts.
In the good old days :
- you could exceed 1000 fpm and Vapp + 10 and still land land safely if you were perhaps a bit high (now we must go around)
- you could continue a shallow approach below the normal profile to reach the displaced threshold (now you are supposed to be on profile/slope at 500')
So you don't want to be too high or Low. You want to fly (ideally a continuous 3 degree descent/approach) a stable approach and be exactly on profile at 500' and that's what makes it perhaps a bit more challenging.
In the good old days you did whatever you wanted (to an extent).