Originally Posted by
Braniff DC8
Long before silly little RJs and FMS, there were 727s, DC-9s and L188s flying out of NYC. Hell, they flew DC-10s, Tri Stars and A300s there as well meaning LGA. Don't for get the piston age either and you think you're busy now! Pushing buttons and ATC, oh no pilots being pilots. Guys my era are laughing at this because tis is silly. Not a slog at Endeavor pilots just the statement of NY being busy now in an RJ is all. Flew the Whitestone by hand all the time, in heavy snow, t storms, with no autopilot, why, there was no autopilot. Now you probably won't believe this but I, and many many others, flew in and out of LGA, no autopilot, wait for it, you might want to sit down for this next part-ready? SINGLE PILOT! Oh the insanty! My friends and I laugh at all this NY, LGA talk as if it's a dangerous place. Busy yes, dangerous no.
Yeah and you got +/- miles on each side of the airway before anyone cared, and +/- a full 300 ft as well. If you messed up then, it was far less likely to have lead to a loss of separation. Now they expect zero variance. A couple tenths of a mile is a big deal, and snitch boxes are way more prevalent than you think. Its great to practice hand flying and I agree that collectively we don't do it enough, but sometimes you have to swallow your pride and monitor the AP.