I'm gonna jump in here and agree with BurgerThing and 411A. It seems many carriers in this region routinely ONLY hand fly the aircraft below 1000 AGL. Now, on a 14 hour trans-pac flight, how much time is actually spent hand flying the jet? I have to agree with 411A's statement in particular-it really does seem a case of use it or lose it...IMHO!
It's not a case of being macho, its a case of keeping skills sharp!
