We're probably all in agreement that in our profession the hand flying skills are of utmost importance. The paradox is that we hardly get any opportunity to practice it.
It's us, as pilots that have to point it out. We need good training!
In my company this is happening, with an allocated time slot in every sim detail to practice whatever you want. Mostly the pilots choose to practice basic handflying skills.
I understand the sentiments, but can't agree with them entirely. A few moments in the sim every year is not a solution. It is a sticking plaster on a gaping wound. In my early days on needles & dials the visual approach was the norm. Greeks islands, you had no choice, and it was fun. Spool up before 1500' in an idle descent from FL330 and you bought the beers. The same was true going into LGW, or any airport where the skies were clear, even at night, and a visual approach was requested. This was not cowboy stuff, it was common sense piloting. No rip**** rock & roll circuits; no death dives gear & speed brake just good smooth efficient safe piloting. There was a real sense of achievement. "hardly any opportunity to practice..." there are many opportunities, but some CP's don't let you take them. e.g. instrument approaches only, radar vectors mandatory, no shorter than 4nm, LNAV/VNAV to OM etc. etc. All that nonsense on a severe clear day in the Canaries. Absolute rubbish and one day it will return to haunt those who allowed this situation to evolve. I still say the pax expect us to be the last insurance policy to save their necks. They pay us quite well and they expect their policy to pay out when needed.
When I was on the line, if appropriate, I'd point out the airfield at 40nm and invite a visual without ILS. First reaction was hesitation about how to do it, and then the inevitable "are we allowed to do this?". When encouraged they gave it a go, wobbled a little, and tried their best. The spectrum of success was terrible to behold. The reactions to the failures was "we've not been trained and do not practice:" to "why bother, it's never necessary?" Try doing the circle to land CIA 15 at night on a windy evening.
People often quote the excellent 'Children of the Magenta line". It's very relevant and true. For a little Hollywood tittilation search You Tube for Space Cowboys and the manual approach in the Space Shuttle. When Tommy Lee was asked what the hell he was doing, he answered "I need to know what to do if the computers fail."
Holding your head in your hands between your knees and kissing your ass goodbye is not the correct answer.
I leave behind many fun years which became less so in the twilight due to the mamby pamby attitude. I am nervous about the future, as I would be for any profession where skills are encouraged to be diluted. It scares me when I speak to a friend, a heart surgeon. He came up through the ranks of general medicine, general surgery, and then specialised in hearts. His foundations are solid, and he spent time as an anaesthetist. Very rounded and knowledgeable in his profession. Now he tells me heart surgeons are like todays captains; fast tracked on a specialist route. They are heart surgeons, and other then the basic medical training for doctors, they have very little foundation. Would you like to know that when the mask goes over your nose & mouth. Blind faith = ignorance is bliss. Our pax are just the same. I hope they are not let down by their faith. Everytime I watch 'Air Crash Investigation' I wonder where our proud profession
is going. Sometimes I salute the gladiators who vanquished the lions; other times I wonder why they were in the same arena.
Now, still teaching TQ courses, I am troubled by the bare minimums of the syllabus. It's tick in boxes and focus on passing the exam. The attitude is "they will learn on the line". That might have been true when commands took 8 years at best (charter airlines), but that is where the diverse nature of our profession and required handling skills were learnt. In the legacy carriers it could be 15 years and over a variety of a/c and operational theatres. They too gained much knowledge, different, before responsibility. Now, in short-haul LoCo's the rise to the top step is 4 years. The a/c might not break as often; there are more ILS's; there are more radars from takeoff to touchdown, the SOP's are more thorough, but the brain is still young. Ones hopes it develops before it is tested. That is the risk the industry has chosen to take. As Dave Allen used to sign off with, "may your God go with you."