IMHO the question is "how do I practice flying outside the norm". The answer has to be using the simulator mostly. I can't really see how sail plane flying would help when the flight deck is lit up like a christmas tree, chirping and whooping, betty nagging and the ECAM scrolling by like the credits on a cheap movie. These pilots knew how to fly and recover from a stall. The big question is how did they process the PFD, ECAM, warnings... That kind of real/perceived multiple failure situation was never trained for. You can't get it in a sail plane or pitts.
The other issue is that you cannot go manual flying around coffin corner in chop. I question how much free play the earlier poster does at FL370 or above. Some manufacturers don't recommend manual at the cruise alt for particular types, its just too woolly to be playing buggles up there. As throwing out the SOPs and going full manual whenever he wants...
