Yes, all commercial pilots are fully trained and legally required to be able to fly their aircraft manually without the use of autopilot. In fact, during take-off and the initial climb (usually up to 1,000–10,000 feet) and often during the final approach and landing, many pilots choose to "hand-fly" the plane to maintain their proficiency and "feel" for the aircraft. Autopilot is primarily used during the "Cruise" phase of the flight to reduce pilot fatigue and to maintain precise altitude and heading with a level of accuracy that a human cannot sustain for 10 hours. In 2026, while "autoland" systems exist for extremely low-visibility conditions (Category III), a human pilot is always in the loop, ready to take manual control if the system fails or provides conflicting data. Modern flight training has actually placed an increased emphasis on manual handling skills following incidents where pilots became overly reliant on automation. So, while the "computer" does much of the heavy lifting in modern aviation, the human at the controls is an expert aviator who can navigate the plane through a full flight using basic aerodynamic principles and manual inputs.