Well, I LOVE this aircraft. It's the first in-depth aircraft I've purchased for FSX, and I have no regrets. Absolutely fantastic!While I've had versions of flight simulator my whole life, I've really never put serious time into learning any one aircraft. I see that changing with the MD-11. :)I've run through the two tutorials, and have even managed to build a couple of my own flightplans and have flown them fully automated. I've read through the manuals, although obviously haven't absorbed everything and will have to go back as I get more experience. After an unexpected autopilot disconnect, and a very unfortunate attempt at hand-flying the aircraft, I've decided I need to spend some time learning to actually fly the thing. :)My question is to the experienced pilots here is: how would you set up the FMS for pattern work? What sort of automation (if any) would you use while trying to learn to hand-fly the aircraft? And, is leaving the automation off at all realistic? I realize a real pilot would have to be able to cope without the automation, but would it be something they do on a regular day-to-day basis, or only something they do in the sim in preparation for an emergency?Thanks for your help guys,Ryan

I set up local hand flying work at KIAH by selecting a runway as my departure, I enter any VOR as my single enroute fix and then I LAT REV from that VOR to select the approach. Then while hand flying the local pattern on downwind, I select the first fix in the approach as my direct to for the automation bypassing the VOR that was selected earlier. That way the FMS continues to provide me navigation support and auto tunes the ILS for me while I am gleefully burning all that kerosene. The key is having a least one enroute fix, even if you don't fly to it, to LAT REV to the approach.