Orange2fly A320 Alpha floor on approach to Muscat
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: malta
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I don't understand what you're getting at here? Are you saying you would fly these approaches with manual thrust or that you wouldn't feel comfortable flying them with manual thrust and instead use auto-thrust?
Personally, I would be of the opinion that if you don't fly these approaches with manual thrust, even on perhaps more challenging days, albeit with everything working normally, how can you count on yourself to fly them manually on the days where things may not be working perfectly and you're forced to do them manually for the first time?
Any sensible company policy should recognise this and thus encourage maximum appropriate use of manual thrust on all approach types, not just ILS to ILS, so that if they have to be done in anger due to systems failure/downgrade it's second nature to the pilots flying them, and doesn't eat up any additional capacity, as it's ingrained in the muscle memory not something that requires any extra thought, like riding a bike.
Personally, I would be of the opinion that if you don't fly these approaches with manual thrust, even on perhaps more challenging days, albeit with everything working normally, how can you count on yourself to fly them manually on the days where things may not be working perfectly and you're forced to do them manually for the first time?
Any sensible company policy should recognise this and thus encourage maximum appropriate use of manual thrust on all approach types, not just ILS to ILS, so that if they have to be done in anger due to systems failure/downgrade it's second nature to the pilots flying them, and doesn't eat up any additional capacity, as it's ingrained in the muscle memory not something that requires any extra thought, like riding a bike.
When was the last time the autothrust went bust? The last 10 years I had exactly zero issues on multiple airplanes.
The number of visuals approaches 13l/r at JFK isn't much higher though and I found them challenging, both because of the inexperience and the environment (atc, weather). Combined with a pilot next to me with as much experience with this approach, I do think it is safer all around to use automation as much as you are comfortable with and save the practice for the sim and other, less demanding, approaches.
I fly 99% of the approaches fully manual (when weather allows), but do make exeptions for some places and circumstances.
