Originally Posted by
ExperimentalAB
I fibbed just a little bit in my earlier post...on my first approach to mins I let George fly. I won't be responsible for a go-around when I screw something up. I will gladly give George the aircraft when safety of flight calls for it.
But to answer your question, no. I think it borders on irresponsible to use automation religiously. The two best Captains I've flown with flew raw-data almost exclusively. They were sharp as nails and I learned a ton on both trips. And let's be honest. I feel safer with my family on a ratty-old DC-9 or 727 with two crusty old guys who have never seen a FD or FMS...than one of our state-of-the-art RJ's. We Pilots today would NOT cut it 30 years ago...That's a sad fact!
I guess its a good thing its not still 30 years ago. I hate guys who think they have to hand fly everything just to prove how big their balls are. I usually handfly the departure up to 10 or so but for an approach I'll let Jorge drive until he gives me a reason not to. Gives me more time to think about the big picture and maintain SA rather than trying to do the simple, mundane things that the autopilot does very well (like hold that heading and altitude and speed on a gusty day down low going into EWR).