Originally Posted by
Judd
While for example the B737 FCTM displays a diagram of a visual circuit as distinct from a circle to land, as you say there are many airlines who disapprove of practicing a visual circuit during type rating training. For example, the Boeing (formerly Alteon) syllabus during type rating training does not include visual circuit training. That info from someone who recently completed their 737NG type rating in Australia.
Moreover from the very first simulator session, the accent is on full use of automation rather than give the student the opportunity to fly the 737 by hand without flight director or other automatic features to get the feel of his first jet.
Yet there is no doubt that repeated circuits and landings in the simulator manually flown with FD and AT off, gives new pilots more confidence in flying the aeroplane than staring fixedly at the PFD and MAP and fiddling around with the MCP while pressing autopilot buttons. Others are welcome to disagree, but in my job we see the immediate results in the simulator.
When I was teaching the 777 at Boeing we not only did visual approaches, but there was one on the checkride