Insights / Flight Path Management — Manual
⬢ Core Competency

Flight Path Management — Manual

The ability to control the aircraft manually with accuracy and smoothness — managing flight path and energy state while maintaining situational awareness and crew coordination.

■ Overview
What It Means on the Line

Flight Path Management (Manual) is one of the nine core competencies used in competency-based training and assessment (CBTA). It covers flying the aircraft by hand with accuracy and smoothness: controlling attitude, speed and thrust, managing energy, detecting and correcting deviations, and keeping the aircraft within the normal flight envelope while still handling the other tasks of the flight.

Modern operations give pilots little hand-flying, so the skill is rarely practised until it is needed, often at the least convenient moment. The articles below look at each behaviour, and at how to keep manual flying sharp on ordinary sectors when the opportunity and the conditions are right.

Start here: The Skill You Don't Practise Until You Need It →

■ Analysis
The Competency in Context

Opinionated, experience-led analysis of Flight Path Management — Manual on the real flight deck.

Flight Path Management — Manual
The Skill You Don't Practise Until You Need It

Manual flying is the competency most pilots assume they have. The data — and the simulator — suggest otherwise. What it actually takes to stay sharp when automation takes a back seat.

7 min read →
■ Behaviour Deep Dives
The Behaviours

Detailed articles on individual observable behaviours — the specific skills the framework assesses.

Flight Path Management — Manual
Manages flight path/energy to achieve optimum operational performance whilst managing other tasks
Live7 min read→
Flight Path Management — Manual
Anticipates energy / flight path requirement
Live7 min read→
Flight Path Management — Manual
Detects deviations from the desired aircraft trajectory and takes appropriate action
Live7 min read→
Flight Path Management — Manual
Contains the aircraft within the normal flight envelope
Live7 min read→
Flight Path Management — Manual
Effectively monitors flight guidance systems including engagement and automatic mode transitions
Live7 min read→
Flight Path Management — Manual
Selects appropriate level and mode of flight guidance systems in a timely manner
Live7 min read→
Flight Path Management — Manual
Maintains the desired flight path during manual flight whilst managing other tasks
Live7 min read→
Flight Path Management — Manual
Manages the flight path to achieve optimum operational performance
Live7 min read→
Flight Path Management — Manual
Controls the aircraft safely using only the relationship between aircraft attitude, speed and thrust
Live8 min read→
Flight Path Management — Manual
Controls the aircraft manually with accuracy and smoothness as appropriate
Live7 min read→
✦ High Performance Pilot
Track Flight Path Management — Manual
Across Every Sector

HPP maps every Flight Path Management — Manual behaviour across three development levels — with structured prompts to build honest self-assessment into your regular flying. Free to start.

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