Originally Posted by vanHorck
The way I understand it (just an MEP PPL) modern carriers automatically send back to base even the slightest deviations of optimal speeds etc caused by hand flying the latest slippery machines such as the Airbus 320 family.
vanHorck, as far as I know only technical problems end ECAM warnings (A320) will be sent to base in most carriers,
not deviations of optimal speeds.
Originally Posted by vanHorck
Perhaps all new FO's should be obliged to do a minimum of 500 hours of instruction at a glider or GA club in their spare time before becoming eligible for Captain promotion?
That would be a useless rule! Even though some gliding experience is useful (ref 1) a pilot should practise handflying his airline jet with only raw data. And why would you suggest it only for future captains? Shouldn't the co-pilot be able to handfly and land the beast as well?
In my company it's done like this: Starting in the type-rating sim sessions the F/O's in training are learned to fly the Airbus manually (A/P, F/D & A/THR off) on many occasions whenever the exercise permits it. (And, for training, having one engine out is NOT a good reason to keep the A/P on.
) Then, during base training they'll fly a few touch and go's, again without the automatics. Later on, during the initial line training, they will be asked to fly manual raw data approaches, whenever the conditions permit it. Believe me, once they're fully released on line they'll handfly the A320 pretty well, or ... they won't be released on line.
Unlike many others my company encourages pilots to keep their handflying skills up to date. Most of the time, I don't have to suggest my F/O's to turn the automatics off. they will have asked me before if they can. More often it happens, especially with the newly released kids, that I have to suggest them that it would be wise to fly with the automatics on when the metar warns us about low clouds and moderate visibility or when flying into a busy airport we are not familiar with!
It's not they are not smart enough to know that, it's just that they were so used to raw date flying during their training, that using the automatics for approach has become the exception, rather then the rule.
I'll admit that sometimes those new F/O's are not so great in using the automatics. For instance, the first time they have to intercept a G/S from above with the A/P, they will often have a problem. Not amazing, they've trained it once in the sim and then they were expecting it! So confronted to this situation these guys (and girls) will disconnect the A/P when it captures the initial approach alt before the G/S iso using the Airbus procedure for this. (dialling the altitude up and using V/S to get to the G/S.) Oh well, manually intercepting the slope and then re-engaging the A/P gets the job done just as well and it gives me something to talk about during a friendly post-flight debrief.
There is really no excuse for Airlines who forbid their pilots to keep their raw data handflying skills up to date.
(ref 1) I know. I have a few hundred hours of gliding and glider-towing experience!