Hello PH,
However, look at Golden Rule 7 " Use the proper level of automation for the task". We are not a single seat operation and the aircraft has been designed to be flown by a team.
Indeed. That may be no automation at all depending on the circumstances. In a rapidly changing situation the AP does not react quickly enough to FCU inputs. This does not imply single-crew operation nor did I mention it.
Teaching people to leap straight from full FMS guidance to full manual contol every time they have minor concerns has major drawbacks and can lead to more serious problems as you have just trebled the other pilot's workload and drastically reduced the ability to cross monitor each other, you are also out of the loop. Having the PF take out the AP and Autothrust just to follow the cross like a single seat pilot is a real pain as PNF as you have to do his job as well as your own.
Hmm. Moot points here. Like a lot of flying it's a judgment. Rules cannot be written to cover every eventuality and they sometimes get in the way of effective operating. I seriously doubt if going fully manual trebles anyone's workload. It can actually REDUCE the workload. I recently had to retrain in the simulator a crew who had messed up a visual switch to another runway because one of them was heads down in the MCDU, typing, instead of just looking out of the window. THAT took him out of the loop. As a good crew -member one should ALWAYS be mentally doing one's colleagues job to effectively monitor him/her.
Rule 6 of the Golden Rules does say "Take Over" - but there are 2 levels of control between FMS guidance and fully manual which may be a safer option. Lets say the aircraft is not following the noise abatement properly, you have "taken over" by pulling heading and still kept the PNF in the loop - going fully manual at that point is not the best option, and even if you have to tighten the turn you are better of with the speed being controlled while you overbank. This is what Airbus teaches.
Generally agreed. I prefer to think of it as fully automatic (flown through the MCDU), partial automatic (Selected modes) and manual (AP/FD off, ATHR optional) so that's three levels. It's a simpler concept for the inexperienced to grasp. It helps people gain the experience and therefore the judgement to be able to decide when to drop down a level of automation or indeed when to drop directly to manual.