Originally Posted by
lallyr
I was wondering what type of role does a pilot play in today's flights? Recently I had a touch down which I thought was one of the smoothest ever and that made me think, was this the pilot or a computer which brought the airplane down to land so smoothly?
Most likely that was the pilot. The autopilot can land (autoland), but normally autoland landings are somewhat more "firm" since they are intended for less than ideal weather.
So who really flies the airplanes now days? I am sure the pilot has quite a part to play but can someone break down the duties for me? If need be can a flight land on it's own?
It really depends on the specific airline's operating procedures and pilot discretion. Like AEPilot mentioned above, different pilots will turn on the autopilot at different times. All takeoffs and most landings are hand-flown by the pilot.