No, fair point, yellow son . I know with the current lack of flying in the mil some of the FJ boys are getting 100 hrs a year ?
I think I can summarise, that we would all like to hand fly but some SOPs don't allow much of it .
I don't think AF447 had much to do with hand flying - more a failure to interpret and act on what the instruments were saying. I am sure they could have manipulated the AP earlier to achieve a favourable outcome.
I know in a previous life a capt who got a telling off as the FO felt he was being forced to fly a visual when he didn't want to to...I never pressurised anyone, if they fancied a go fair enough, if not fair enough.
I certainly don't by into the machismo (seen elsewhere on here) that basically consists of " you 're not hand flying, because you can't", that amounts to little more than bullying really.