@Murf'n'surf , my fleet is not an auto land fleet. The airplane has the capability, but our airline bought a safer and more pilot controlled system. Other 737-800 operators bought a different system and can auto land. We have a HUD, heads up display, that gives us our flight director information, airspeed, altitude, critical altitudes, selected altitude, trends of both, course and heading, distances to fixes, horizon, angle of attack, and more. We fly the 737 to touchdown. The 777, 767, 757 all have auto land but those pilots also fly the airplane to touchdown when they so choose. We try to be proficient in not only our own pilot skills but also in managing the airplane in different phases of automation. Automation doesn't fly the airplane without the pilot setting it up correctly and managing it. The workload in our current airspace is heavy, and the less stick and rudder you have to do allows you to manage all the other aspects of the complex operation. I typically take off and fly the airplane to positive control airspace above FL180, 18,000 feet, then I engage the AFDS, auto flight director system. Enroute, the AFDS is keeping the aircraft on track and altitude, but these again are pilot selected and controlled. During the high traffic arrivals, it is common to leave the AFDS system engaged until the final approach fix and then hand flying the airplane to landing. But in very low visibility and ceilings, we may leave that on until we are close to our minimums on the approach, and that is commonly 200' AGL (above the ground), where we disengage the autopilot and land the aircraft. However in my fleet, because it is critically flown using the HUD, we are required to disengage the AFDS by 1000' AGL and land manually, when the weather is below CAT I minimums. CAT I minimums are commonly a 200' AGL decision altitude and 1/2 mile visibility or as low as 1800' RVR, runway visual range measured by a transmissometer (measures the distance a horizontal light can be seen). If the weather is below CAT I, and the runway, aircraft, and crew are legal (most always when required), then a CAT II or III approach is flown manually below 1000' to touchdown or go around using the HUD. CAT III typically allows us to fly down to 50' and the requirements are runway specific, but it is common that we need around 600' of horizontal visibility measured by RVR at the touchdown zone. On the 777/767/757, those aircraft are required to land using auto land which aligns the aircraft with the runway, follows the glidepath to touchdown and retards the throttles as it flares to touchdown. It is more automated but both of these are used in very low visibility and ceiling situation. CAT I weather and above, many pilots still fly the aircraft to landing. I have never been qualified on our Airbus fleet and do not know how their fleet is set up. And we just took delivery of our first 787. I know it is equipped with a HUD on both the CA (captain) and FO (first officer) sides of the cockpit, but I think it will be an auto land aircraft in the CAT II/III situations. Sorry for the long winded explanation, but I figured it would be both interesting and informative to you as well as answer your question.
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