AB - I have just received a PM correcting me on a couple of points, one is that manual practice of approaches is disallowed only when the weather is close to minima, so nothing wrong with practicing manual approaches by day or night in reasonable weather. I was getting a bit carried away! By the way, this only applies to the Bristow EC225 - I don't know what other's policy is.
The fact is that the automation is so much better than the pilots, that most people elect to use it anyway, and therefore have more time for the "big picture" aka situational awareness.
Another correction is that the co-pilot development which used to be a routine feature for many years until recently, did have a go at restarting but unfortunately it transpires that the pilots are currently too busy to be spared for it. That is BAD BAD BAD and we need to up our game! I for one found it most beneficial when I was a baby copilot (seems like only last week!). So yes, we are now running the risk of a new generation of can't-fly pilots. Shame on us!
Last edited by HeliComparator; 28th Aug 2013 at 12:08.