As a new A320 pilot, a few line captains have encouraged me to do a bit of flying with all the automation turned off, and I've found that the airplane is a real joy to fly.
A previous poster mentioned that BA doesn't allow the AT to be disconnected. Can anyone confirm that? I hope it isn't true. Is the AT considered a no-go item? Is it an emergency if the AT fails in flight?
As for hand flying with the FD on, I'm really not a fan. I feel a lot more out of the loop. I concentrate more on the FD than the instruments. With the FD off, I feel as though I'm much more aware of what's going on.