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proficiency since it is a routine, uneventful operation.

Q. Each flight consists basically of a take off, climb out, cruise, approach and landing.

A. Yes.

Q. A senior captain such as Captain Gitt, who is able to bid the longer and more choice routes, might make one such maneuver on each end of a rather long flight as a part of his daily routine.

A. Yes.

Q. The actual handling of the controls involved in a modern airliner does not consist of much more than the take off and climb out and the descent and landing: is that not also accurate?

A. Correct.

Q. A good deal of the time the aircraft is flown on autopilot and the pilots are there essentially to navigate and make reports and check that the operation is normal -- (T-231)

A. Yes.

Q. The physical handling of the controls is somewhat limited by the modern genius of Bill Lear and others who have --

MR. WEISS: Pardon?

Q. -- of Bill Lear and others who have found a way of providing us with mechanical means of controlling the aircraft in level flight; true?

A. Yes.

Q. As a matter of fact, it is also common, varying from pilot to pilot admittedly, to use the autopilot controls for take off, for descent and sometimes for approaches; is it not?

A. No, sir, not for take off.

Q. Oh, I don't mean for rotating off the runway. I am sorry. For climb out?

A. Some do.

Q. And for coupled approaches right down to the middle marker in some cases?

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