SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
If you need to hand fly into the teens every flight in order to maintain your proficiency, then you probably shouldn't be flying airplanes for a living.
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- Thread starter CLTflyer
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If you need to hand fly into the teens every flight in order to maintain your proficiency, then you probably shouldn't be flying airplanes for a living.
poser765
Well-Known Member
I would also point out that if your hand flying is so bad that it is causing noticeable discomfort in your passengers then you shouldn't be flying either.
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
How ought one maintain one's proficiency then, oh Oracle? You're all too wickedly aware of how fallible we all are. If we're that bad, oughtn't we all be hand flying every available second, so as not to crash the second we make the mistake of turning off the autopilot and thus becoming totally unaware of our surroundings? You can't have it both ways. Pick one.
PeanuckleCRJ
Poodle Wrangler
The best way to tell if the AP is engaged on an MD-88/90 is if it violates the RNAV 1 track and continuously oscillates its pitch. 
ppragman
FLIPY FLAPS!
Flying into the teens is probably better than never hand-flying as you've suggested.
PeanuckleCRJ
Poodle Wrangler
Hey hey... he's run out of currency twice in the last 2 years and only flown 70 hours this year. He's made his entire career off of doing that, so he knows more than you what a truly proficient pilot is.
ppragman
FLIPY FLAPS!
Hey hey... he's run out of currency twice in the last 2 years and only flown 70 hours this year. He's made his entire career off of doing that, so he knows more than you what a truly proficient pilot is.
You're kidding me right?
PeanuckleCRJ
Poodle Wrangler
ppragman
FLIPY FLAPS!
This is the best gif on the internet I've ever seen.
@ATN_Pilot - hey how much total time do you have? Out of curiosity?
Maximilian_Jenius
Super User
Hey hey... he's run out of currency twice in the last 2 years and only flown 70 hours this year. He's made his entire career off of doing that, so he knows more than you what a truly proficient pilot is.
Just to be clear... you two are still friends. Right?
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
Actually, I can. That's what the NTSB recommends: maintaining proficiency in all levels of automation. Hand flying constantly yields pilots who aren't proficient in the automation. We haven't had a bunch of accidents involving pilots who can't hand fly. We've had accidents where pilots haven't managed the automation correctly. Your view is counter-productive.
And why do I keep allowing myself to get sucked back into this debate?
Polar742
All the responsibility none of the authority
Proficient isn't Chuck Yeager.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
Just to be clear... you two are still friends. Right?
I love Denny. He's just wrong.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
I honestly don't know. I stopped logging my time about 7 or 8 years ago, but I was at 5k hours then. I'm probably somewhere around 7k now.
PeanuckleCRJ
Poodle Wrangler
Polar742
All the responsibility none of the authority
We have a lot of pilots come to the sim for currency.
It's the nature of our operation.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
We've had the same for the last few years. Ever since we got the new contract, senior guys bid reserve because we can bid call last and only get called when the fecal matter has hit the fan. Several guys a month go to the sim for currency.
SlumTodd_Millionaire
Most Hated Member
Ah, but I haven't suggested that. That's what you imagined me saying, not what I actually said. What I said was that it's ridiculous to make a regular practice of hand flying for a large portion of the flight. It's something that should be done on occasion to avoid atrophy of skills. And that doesn't take much. A flight a trip is what I suggested earlier in this thread, in fact.
PeanuckleCRJ
Poodle Wrangler
This is correct, and what I've stated several times. No one has stated that you should handfly constantly... at least I sure haven't.
ppragman
FLIPY FLAPS!
Flying up to the teens is not some yeager-esque ego-trip. That's laughable. If you're climbing out at 1,500fpm (which is slow for a super duper jet powered spaceship) and you're only hand-flying to transition, you're only looking at 12 minutes of hand flying. 12 freaking minutes. On a 3-hour flight, if you fly for 12 minutes during departure, and 12 minutes during landing you're only hand-flying for about 7% of your flight.