Talk to any sim instructor and they just shake their heads at 'so how did he get that flying job?'
Simply put, boxes break, in the real world and simulated in the simulator. And when they do, the pilots that can't fly with out the boxes kill people.
Guys that talk safety with regard to automation take the stance that pilots are idiots, that a box needs to fly the plane, and the pilot watches the box. I can't really disagree except somewhere around the 80s, we departed from hiring pilots that didn't need a box, to pilots that couldn't fly with out one. So in the end, if you hire idiots, yes, automation makes flying safer. If you don't hire idiots, then automation makes it easier.
Simply put, if you can't hand fly, navigate and land the aircraft, by yourself under IMC conditions, under partial panel, you aren't a pilot, you are something else, most likely someone who 'networked' 'got lucky' 'bought your way in' or whatever and shouldn't be getting paid to carry passengers. Argue the point if you want, either you can fly or you can't.
Last edited by Teldorserious; 23rd Jul 2013 at 15:10.