I want to play devil's advocate for a moment and present you the following scenario: Weather at destination is above minimums and ONLY the auto flight system on the RJ fails 30 minutes into a 2.5 hour flight. Should the captain then declare an emergency and land at the nearest suitable airport?

Be careful how you answer this question because you have emphasized proficiency, prudence, and safety.

The reason I bring this up is due to the fact that folks (on both sides of the argument) are trying to fit an absolute answer into a subjective situation. As I have said before, no one situation is going to be identical for two separate individuals.

For those who are accusing some of being "chest thumping super-pilots" because they would not have refused to accept an aircraft with an inoperative auto flight system, are you too not guilty of "chest thumping" yourselves? Are you not portraying yourselves as "holier-than-though" safety zealots while accusing others of being "reckless"? Think twice before casting a stone.

And that leads to another point. Does an inoperative auto pilot system automatically equate to being unsafe? That depends on who is willing to accept or deny the aircraft in question. Again, there is no right or wrong answer.