Fd it's interesting how the "thousands of hours SPVFR is the only way to be a real man" comes from the antipodeans. I guess it matches the stereotype!
Anyway trading insults aside you are misquoting me to make your point, that being the easiest way to "score points" but also the most transparent.
I don't have thousands of hours SPVFR, however no chip about it. My way is not the only way, we had plenty in Bristow who did have lots of SPVFR, they were no better or worse as a group than those without. There were a few who were too entrenched in their SPVFR ways to accept such concepts as CRM/MCC and the optimum use of automation. They were problem pilots for the 99.999% of the time when such things were paramount, no doubt they could have been heroes for the 0.001% of the time when things went drastically wrong and they had to reveal their balls - but unluckily for them they never had the chance to show their caveman skills.
Of course there were also a few without lots of SPVFR who also "bumped along the bottom" and were problem pilots. C'est la vie.
The chip lies with those who think that loads of SPVFR is the solution to all ills. Which is clearly BS.
And yes I can hand fly, with or without the autopilot. However I know that in poor conditions the option with the greatest safety margin is to use the automation to its best capability. This is the safest way of doing things for the passengers, even if some are too stupid to realise it.
Your "dissing" of those who understand the advantages of automation merely reveals the depths of your own ignorance. Back to cattle mustering in an R22 for you!