PPRuNe Forums - Pilot experience reduced by flight automation

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- - Pilot experience reduced by flight automation (https://www.pprune.org/australia-new-zealand-pacific/607456-pilot-experience-reduced-flight-automation.html)

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Talking to a newly minted PPL recently, on his way to a CPL.

Was astounded to hear he is already a regular user of the auto-pilot.

currawong; I have heard much the same thing re some of the products of various 'Sausage factories' in this Country.

When I did my CPL flight test in mid '85, the first words the Testing officer said once we were seated in the a/c (A PA-34:eek:) were

''For this flight, your autopilot and all navaids are unserviceable!"

As I had not used any of the abovementioned in my training flights, there was no problem.

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And another one involving about an hour of hand flying with no hydraulics, to landing (better than a workout at the gym).

With all due respect, there must be better use of valuable simulator time than busting your guts on manual reversion for an hour. What was the point of it?
Time permitting from regulatory exercises, I would hazard a guess that most pilots would prefer to practice circuits and landings without the aid of the automatics goodies. That helps rapid scan practice especially with occasional strong crosswind components. Or set the simulator for black hole approaches with a go around at the flare on instruments. Innovation is fine within reason in the simulator but it must be valid and of definite use to the pilot rather than the hack-flick -zoom double flameout while inverted sort of exercises.