a35757,
As a matter of interest, do you have a reference that says that if you are doing the IR test, (either initial and/or renewal) you can't use the above.
I ask, because I have done more than a few IF rating renewals over the years, right back to initial issue of what we now call a MECIR, and used all of the above
It is up to the FOI or Delegate how he wishes to conduct the CIR. The Delegate represents CASA. The testing officer needs to ensure that to be issued with a CIR, the applicant must demonstrate a competent performance in operating the aircraft under the IFR. A competent performance is one in which the pilot is in control of the aircraft and the successful outcome of the task is never in doubt.
Most general aviation ATO's conducting a single pilot CIR in a light single or twin, require the test be hand flown apart from brief periods where the candidate is changing charts or in short periods of level flight where an autopilot may be engaged.
On the other hand in appropriate airline simulators, the vast majority of a CIR is flown using full automatic features with a minimum of one approach without the autopilot and flight director. However, once again the decision to conduct the test using hand flown raw data is up to the judgement of the Examiner, ATO, FOI or delegate.
One of the assessments required and published in the CASA Approved Testing Officer Manual is: "Smoothness - the applicant must demonstrate smoothness in all flying sequences" Note the accent on
all .
It becomes difficult to judge overall smoothness as a specific skill when most of the test is done on automation.
Demonstration of hand flying skills in the flight simulator and without resorting to aids such as the flight director and autothrottle for example, need to be within published instrument rating tolerances. That is why ATO's and delegates are in their right to require this to be demonstrated.
Loss of control in IMC is now recognized as the major cause of hull losses.
This suggests that basic instrument flying competency was lacking. if pilots are to learn from the mistakes of others, it was seem prudent for examiners to address this fact by checking the competency of pilots at basic instrument flying skills. Skill at watching the automatic pilot is a separate subject...