My appologies...
I wasn't aware thread was limited to those who only want to throw tomatoes at an airplane that has an incredible safety record and is a proven money maker for its operators.
Personally, I want no part of a design philosophy that helps makes my hard earned pilot skills rusty or irrelevant. If you're going to fly this airplane well, you better dust off all your pilot skills because you'll need them in just about every phase of flight. No doubt about it. But, there's nothing like the confidence of knowing you're flying this plane and not the other way around.
The autopilot is not a joke. It's an aid/tool to be used when appropriate. I think of my autopilot as an apprentice with limited flying skills. When my autopilot is not performing up to snuff, I relish the oppurtunity to say...click, click...I have the airplane.
d