Airline pilots hand-fly take-off and landing but use autopilot for most airborne time. Learn the typical split, exceptions and pilot workload.
In real-world airline operations, pilots usually hand-fly take-off and the first and last few minutes, while autopilot handles most of the climb, cruise and descent. On a routine long-haul flight it may be engaged for well over 90% of airborne time, but the exact split depends on operator procedures, weather, workload and crew judgement.
How much of a normal airline flight is hand-flown?
Most airline flights move from manual control to autopilot shortly after departure, then return to manual control during the approach or landing.
| Flight phase | Typical control method | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi | Manual | The pilots steer and control speed; taxi time is not normally included in airborne percentages. |
| Take-off | Manual | A pilot controls the aircraft, although autothrottle or autothrust may set and maintain take-off thrust. |
| Initial climb | Manual or autopilot | Autopilot may be engaged from a few hundred feet or later, subject to the aircraft's minimum engagement height and airline procedures. |
| Climb, cruise and early descent | Usually autopilot | The crew commands and monitors the route, altitude, speed and vertical profile through the automatic-flight system. |
| Arrival and approach | Either | The approach may be hand-flown or coupled to the autopilot, depending on conditions, workload and training objectives. |
| Flare, touchdown and rollout | Usually manual | Automatic landing is used only when the aircraft, crew, approach facilities and operating procedures support it. |
There is no universal percentage. Ten minutes of hand-flying would represent about 17% of a one-hour airborne sector but less than 2% of a ten-hour flight. Short-haul crews may therefore spend a larger proportion of each flight manually controlling the aircraft even when their engagement and disconnection points are similar.
What counts as hand-flying?
Hand-flying means the autopilot is disconnected and a pilot is physically controlling pitch and roll with the control column, yoke or sidestick. The flight director and autothrottle may remain active, so manual flight does not necessarily mean flying without guidance or automatic thrust.
Autopilot, flight director, flight-management guidance and automatic thrust are related but separate functions. Our explanation of autopilot modes, flight directors and autothrottle in flight simulators shows how those layers interact.
An engaged autopilot also does not mean the pilots have stopped flying the aircraft. They select or verify modes and targets, monitor the flight-mode annunciator, check navigation and fuel, communicate with air traffic control and intervene when the aeroplane is not following the intended path.
Why do airline pilots use autopilot so much?
Autopilot provides precise, consistent control while freeing both pilots to manage navigation, weather, communications and aircraft systems.
- At cruise altitude, precise altitude and speed control improves stability and reduces workload during long sectors.
- During busy departures and arrivals, automation can leave more attention available for restrictions, traffic, checklists and radio calls.
- In poor visibility, a coupled approach may provide more accurate localiser and glideslope tracking than routine manual flight.
- During long flights, it reduces fatigue without removing the requirement for continuous monitoring.
Hand-flying at high altitude is rarely operationally useful, and some airline procedures restrict it where precise altitude keeping is critical. Applicable RVSM procedures, turbulence, aircraft limitations and equipment status also influence the decision.
When do airline pilots choose to hand-fly?
Pilots hand-fly when conditions and procedures allow it, when manual practice is useful, or when automation is unavailable or behaving incorrectly.
- Take-off is normally hand-flown until at least the published autopilot engagement height.
- Crews may continue manually during departure or arrival to maintain proficiency when weather, traffic and workload are suitable.
- A visual or instrument approach may be hand-flown once the crew is properly configured and can maintain stabilised-approach criteria.
- If the autopilot disconnects, fails or follows an unexpected mode, the pilot takes control and stabilises the aircraft before troubleshooting.
A mistake we see constantly in simulation is assuming that selecting a mode means it has captured. Real crews confirm the active mode on the flight-mode annunciator: an armed altitude, localiser or glideslope mode is not yet controlling the aircraft. If automation produces an unsafe or confusing result, the correct response is to disconnect it, fly a stable path and simplify the problem.
Does autopilot perform the take-off and landing?
Airline take-offs are normally flown manually, even when automatic thrust is used. The autopilot cannot be engaged until the aircraft is airborne and above the minimum height specified for that type and operation.
Most landings are also hand-flown. A coupled ILS does not automatically make the approach an autoland: the system may track the localiser and glideslope before the pilot disconnects and lands manually. Our MSFS 2024 explanation of coupled ILS guidance and complete autoland demonstrates this distinction clearly.
For an autoland, the required aircraft systems must be serviceable, the crew and operator must be approved, and the approach facilities and conditions must be suitable. Depending on the installation, the autopilot may remain engaged through flare, touchdown and rollout. There is no single disconnect altitude for ordinary approaches; crews follow the aircraft limitations, procedure minima and their operator's standard procedures.
How do airline pilots maintain manual flying skills?
Airline pilots practise manual flying during recurrent simulator training and, where company policy and conditions permit, during normal line operations. Training includes manual instrument flight, raw-data approaches, automation failures and recovery from situations in which the automatic-flight system cannot be trusted.
Using autopilot for 90% of a flight does not mean the pilots work for only the remaining 10%. Monitoring automation is an active task, and manual skill is still needed immediately if it disconnects or the aircraft departs from the intended flight path.
What should flight simmers copy from airline practice?
Flight simmers should copy the decision-making rather than engage or disconnect autopilot at one arbitrary altitude on every flight.
- Hand-fly the take-off, establish a stable climb and confirm that the aircraft is trimmed and following the departure.
- Engage autopilot when it reduces workload, then verify the active lateral and vertical modes instead of assuming it will follow the flight plan correctly.
- Choose a manual or coupled approach according to weather, familiarity and workload; our practical airline-style IFR workflow for flight simulators shows where each method fits.
- Disconnect if the automation becomes confusing, control the aircraft first and diagnose the mode or configuration problem only after the flight path is stable.