Tragic, isn't it ?
I look back fondly to flying freight on the L188 and B727 35 years or so ago. Back of the clock, next to no traffic, and the stick and rudder/IF skills were honed and rehoned ... and it was all a great deal of good clean fun. Autopilot ? .. only of use when eating one's meal.
Sometimes I wonder whether I should have transitioned to the Airbus .. not often, though.