Originally Posted by
Pugilistic Animus
but he is stating hand flying is losing importance...in paraphrase
I don't think he is, sir. Centaurus (for whom I have a lot of respect) seems to have read it that way, but I have to metaphorically squint and tilt my head a bit to do the same.
The reason for this is his use of the word "skill". Now, a lot of what I'm seeing from time to time seems to be a generalised sense that rote button-pushing and knob-twiddling on the FMS interface has allowed for the erosion of handflying skills. I may not do it for a living, but I fly enough as SLF that I have as strong an interest in the people up front doing it right as anyone - but I don't think that's what the person concerned is advocating here, and the reason for that is that rote use of the automatics is not particularly skilful.
*Skilled* use of the systems requires a fairly thorough understanding of said systems - modes of operation, correct usage with regard to phase of flight, understanding of failure modes and their consequences etc. Not to mention a thorough understanding of when it's time to switch the systems off and handle the aircraft yourself.
As such, the way I read it is that he's arguing for training on systems and information handling to provide a level of understanding that is as good as, or better than, stick-and-rudder handling is at the point where pilots begin their transition to ATPL (which is arguably when they will be at their most well-drilled).