Originally Posted by
gulliBell
I can tell you this for sure. What I see when teaching in a Level D FFS helicopter simulator, irrespective of the level of experience of the crews, far more accidents happen when automation is involved, than without. To the extent that I feel like ripping out the automation and have the trainees hand fly everything. Logic tells you that automation must be safer. In the training environment, I don't see it.
Of course the opposite case sometimes applies, I feel like ripping out the controls and stowing them in the boot and have the automation do all of the flying. But, generally speaking, the outcomes are consistently better without reliance on automation. Assuming of course the basic IFR skills of being able to fly a heading, airspeed, altitude etc accurately are there; which sadly, often they are not.
Sounds to me like your crews need better foundation training in how, when, where and why to use automation, when to drop down a level or two, and when to revert to manual!
But I also think your view might be clouded by the narrow type of flying (ie training and testing, lots of emergencies etc, most of the time "abormal operations"). As opposed to the real world where virtually all the time flying is routine, arousal levels low, unexpected sudden changes of plan are rare.