Machinbird,
I agree with your general comment made on post
#850
But it is still interesting to note that on both events you refer to, each time a pilot by his initial action on the sidestick probably tried to correct an attitude that was at least 3 degrees below what the attitude in cruise usually is.
Also, in the AF447 case, a level bust could be understandable and considered as normal as the memory item for UAS states to initially adopt 5 degrees of positive attitude.
I think the disconnection with the altitude became flagrant just later on, when the FD bars reappeared. The crew just didn’t process the altitude when the PF instinctively decided to follow that unrealistic vertical command.
So I agree, if a guy, on a regular base, was manually leveling off at 350, he would deeply assimilate what is the necessary scanning and which level of inputs on the controls are acceptable.