Originally Posted by
APCLurker
Please name one US airline or operator where hand flying is essentially treated as an emeregency procedure.
I can only speak for what I see at my regional (which I won't name because I don't want to cause a ruckus). Hand flying was deemphasized in training and is rarely done on the line above 1000 feet. I think I've only seen one captain ever turn the AP off in IMC.
How we're expected to become or remain proficient at flying the plane, I don't know. I know that if I'm in the back and the AP quits, I would hope the crew diverts to a VMC field.