c...pete, #1, you refer to a particular handling procedure and then conclude, without further evidence, that this contributes to deteriorating handling skills.
It is difficult to identify any strong evidence that deteriorating manual skills have contributed to the current level of safety. There may be examples where the apparent inability to recover from unusual situations have been cited as difficulties with manual control, but this is with hindsight and often overlooks the difficulties in attaining the required situation awareness to effect recovery, and perhaps representing the same situational difficulties which led to the event in the first instance.
Studies have reported some deterioration in manual flying skill, but perhaps more importantly the cognitive skills required to manage the flight and manual control (S Casner, NASA).
Those who wish to criticise the monitored approach procedure, perhaps overlook an advantage of the change of control in maintaining the required skills. The pilot monitoring, knowing that s/he will become pilot flying may be encourage to be even more actively engaged in the flying process, awareness as a monitor, and then to fly, ( ...the retention of cognitive skills needed for manual flying may depend on the degree to which pilots remain actively engaged in supervising the automation. Casner.)
Manual handling skills in modern aircraft should not be compared with those required in previous aircraft because the need is not the same. Nowadays pilots require a skill set applicable to modern systems, some of this will require manual flight, but more so the cognitive skills to manage advanced systems and the overall task of operating an aircraft in a complex environment.
‘... tweaks the side stick back 1/4 inch to flare,’; the skill here is knowing when to do this and how the timing or magnitude should change according the situation, which requires assessment and knowledge.
Last edited by safetypee; 8th Dec 2017 at 17:37.
Reason: Thanks for thread move, but...