I was safety pilot on base training detail. The company wanted the FD to be used in manual flight. This entailed PF calling for HDG's & Spds and LVL CHG, V/S etc. (B757 No speed tape, just ASI). The captain student was from DC8. He was all over the sky and couldn't coordinate hands, brain & mouth. After a few circuits I could see the BTC was getting frustrated with the DEC candidate. He turned to me and said this guy couldn't fly. I suggested turning the FD's off and letting him fly it like a DC8. Round & round we went on rails. Later, in LT he could learn the AFDS, but he could fly. Nowadays, as has been said, a visual circuit on the line becomes an LNAV/VNAV programmed exercise. Indeed, one airline has this as an SOP to help avoid G/A's and using A/T to help control speed. Still they have G/A's from visuals. The piloting skills are diluted due to company philosophy; perhaps this also justifies the company philosophy of diluting the T's & C's of said pilots. If you ain't got the skills why should you be paid for them? An interesting conspiracy theory for
PR. Why pay big bucks for button pushers and cause fares to rise? The pax might go for that; until the day when buttons don't solve the problem.