One of my check captains said to me recently that he doesn't feel the need to 'practice' lots of hand flying as he thinks it is a skill that once learned only required minimal practice to keep proficient
Folks,
Gawd help us if that is not a windup. I can always pick who has kept their scan up by regularly hand flying, versus the A/P watchers, it really shows at license renewal time.
From a number of accidents, it is clear to me that a good old fashioned proper scan is becoming a thing of the past --- with a percentage of the current generation.
It staggers me that anybody can let a airspeed on approach get 20-30 knots below bug without noticing ---- less than 5 knots below bug should be the cue for instant action.
As to being a "bit rough" but sorted after 3 circuits, I hope you get a few practice runs before your next engine failure on takeoff ---- a rare but real event that can't be handled by A/P.
Tootle pip!!