Matt Whiting wrote
I now have an airplane with an autopilot, but I almost never use it. I
flew 6 years of IFR (often in IMC here in the sunny northeast) and I
just feel more comfortable hand flying at all times. I also don't need
to worry about AP failure. I do use it when I need to do an extensive
GPS reprogram, but I can do that without the AP, it just takes longer.

I too have an airplane with an autopilot now. I fly IFR a lot, and
have for the past 4 years I've owned the airplane. I installed the
autopilot two years ago. I first used it in IMC on my ATP checkride,
and I'm still on my white temporary. I, too, can reprogram my GPS
without the autopilot. I can perform ALL normal tasks without the
autopilot, though it does take slightly longer. I certainly believe
that you should be able to complete the flight uneventfully if the
autopilot fails, and I train to that standard.

I believe more strongly in the flip side. I believe the greatest
likelihood of pilot error is when in a high workload situation, often
caused by an emergency or at least an anomoly in flight. At such times
having a higher level of competency is essential.

No argument - but that is what recurrent training is for.

I want the capability to sprint at a moments notice and I
believe that hand flying solo at all times keeps my sprinting ability
(ability to handle the occasional high workload situations) at a much
higher level.

I used to believe exactly the same thing, and practiced accordingly.
Now I'm not so sure. I'm not convinced that the little bit of extra
edge is worth the continuous increased workload. Most IFR accidents
occur with no equipment failure at all.

I can see this being either a very good or very bad policy depending on
the context. If you are seeking the ATP in an airplane that requires
two pilots or plan to fly in a two pilot operation, then I think the DE
is right on the money. If you plane to fly exclusively or even
primarily in a single-pilot operation, then I think the DE is way off base.

I can think of no single-pilot operation that requires an ATP. The
ATP is not really a pilot certificate - it is a pilot manager
certificate. It is assumed that you can fly proficiently going in.
It is assumed that you can handle the workload going in. The big
question - can you MANAGE the workload, rather than just handling it?
Can you effectively make use of all available resources - including an
untrained copilot. This is far from unrealistic - a new hire copilot
straight out of sim is, at least according to my friend the airline
captain, often worthless. If you can get him to tune a radio for you,
that's good.

At the airline level this makes tons of sense as they fly only multiple
pilot operations. If that is what you are going to fly, then you should
be able to fly your best using another pilot. However, as I wrote
above, if I let a DE know that I will be flying single-pilot all of the
time and he doesn't test me that way, then he's doing me a real disservice.

And once again - if you will be flying single pilot all the time, what
earthly use is an ATP certificate to you?

Michael