Originally Posted by
GS1140
I wonder whether autopilots tend to reduce our attentiveness and monitoring of flight instruments.
Yes unfortunately I think this is a worry. The better the autopilot, the more tempting it is to stop monitoring. But what is the answer? Get rid of autopilots and make all flying manual? (back to the 1970s) or have a bit of a new paradigm in training where there is much more attention placed on monitoring skills? I'm not sure I have ever received any training in monitoring (or, to be honest, given it) but I have certainly "given feedback" when monitoring has been found to be lacking, a relatively common occurrence. Its a skill that we expect everyone to have innately, but maybe that is expecting too much?