How Much Does a Computer Fly the Plane Versus the Pilot?
On long-haul flights, passengers frequently believe that Autopilot is engaged. Even though pilots have a lot of procedures to go through on even the simplest flights, people make careless judgments about them. Misunderstandings like “pilots spend only three minutes piloting their plane throughout a typical flight” are common.
This means that today’s pilots will spend very little time with their hands on the control column, but it doesn’t negate the necessity to execute a regular duty.