Mars, whilst generally agreeing with your post, I think we have to be careful not to drop everything at the door of automation. That is only one element. The issues surrounding monitoring and the need for stabilised approach with parameters clearly defined so as to empower PM to intervene sooner rather than later, apply just as much without automation as with it.
In Bristow it has long been required to be speed stable by 1000' above the airfield during an IFR approach. Perhaps 1000' is too low, but at least we had a policy. I wonder what CHC's policy on stabilised approaches is? The trouble is we have yet to silence the roar from those who maintain that "its a helicopter, not an aeroplane" and want to be able to be fully flexible with speed.
I suspect that if we looked at the Ops Mans of the main players, there would be large differences in such policies between them. Surely this is not how it should be?