Phantom Driver:
"The simulator is the place to do this, not line flying with revenue pax on board in challenging ATC environments where all hands need to be on deck monitoring what is going on".
I find this just such a fascinating comment. Why would the revenue passengers have any problem with you hand-flying in (what you call) a challenging ATC environment?
In any event, I always reckoned that those of us up the front were more important than them behind.
Are you admitting that hand-flying in (what you call) a challenging ATC environment is too much for you and your Capt/FO to deal with?
In addition, are you suggesting that your attempts at handflying would seriously upset the well-being of your passengers?
If so, I am extremely glad that I retired five years ago.
I was a TRI/TRE for many years. I did not like the ethos that came from JARS where almost all of the Base Check/IR was conducted with the automatics engaged. It quickly became obvious that "stick" values were on the decline.
I respectfully suggest to you that "stick" values might just be in the ascendancy again because too many people are dying under this so-called technological progress?
Now don't get me wrong; I have always welcomed technology where it made my job easier. I always taught that if the automatics are still working, then use them but we should NEVER EVER lose sight of the basics.
By the way, those of you who have exchanged views with me in the past will know that I am a fan of the DC-10. I first met the DC-10 with Laker and we had the "Deck Angle" indicator on the glare shield. It was great fun; we spent the whole flight from London to LAX pushing the button and worked for a deck angle of 3.0 to 3.5 degrees up for that was the optimum.
It was the same for the B747, L-1011, and the BAe 146.
And so it is that I find it quite fascinating that AF never found it necessary to teach such simple survival lessons to their aircrew on AF447.
Which takes me back to the beginning; I have mentioned this before on pprune but I once took a DC-10 to LAX with no autopilots (the MEL allowed this) and it was a relaxed affair and not one of the 345 passengers was sick).
Before you get carried away, I do realise that nowadays RVSM requires automatics...................
Which doesn't say much for modern poling abilities!