I have seen many cadet pilots after a few years flying, they fly the automatics wonderfully in the simulator. However when the time comes for them to fly a manual circuit without any automatics they panic and in many cases can not do it without significant step by step instruction.
Okay, the above is one extreme, which could/should be rectified to let the poor FOs try their hand a bit more often, whether they like it or not, you could call it . . . .yes, that`s it . . training. Surely a pilot in such a state needs training - throw in some mandatory training on manual handling.
I want to make another point, which could be personal, or, maybe not.
I have seen pilots progress on from light twins and singles to greater things like . .airliners. They then come back and ask to do the necessary to maintain their PPL in a light single, C152/172/PA28 say.
I always ask myself, why do they want to do that? Why sweat through years of hard graft to make it to the airlines, after having gone through all that training (and money) only to toddle back on your day off for reval and check out on the aircraft where it all started?
I thought I was an aviation person, but I do not share bimbling around in a single when one has progressed onto greater things.
Why not marry your airbus rather than come back to puddle jumpers . . .?
There must be loads of opportunity in day to day life of just flying manually - for example, in the sim, or when doing mandatory training, check outs in the aircraft, command conversion training . .etc., etc., that sort of thing.
As soon as the base training is over and they have had a sector or two - they come flying back as if reaching for momma. What is it that makes pilots do this? Is it perhaps that after being so hammered and beaten up in training they come back just to prove to the world - that they can in fact fly, just as well, all on their lonesome?
I realise I am going to get criticised for this - but does no one share my view?