What will happen if the autothrottles are engaged during a manual drop in thrust?

When the autothrottles are engaged during a manual drop in thrust, the autothrottle system will actively monitor the aircraft's current thrust settings and make adjustments to maintain the desired performance level as per the flight regime. This means that if the pilot reduces thrust manually, the autothrottle system will recognize this change and automatically compensate by increasing thrust back to the predetermined setting.

The autothrottle’s primary function is to optimize engine performance and ensure that the aircraft operates within safe and efficient parameters. This capability is crucial, especially during critical phases of flight such as ascent or approach, where maintaining a specific thrust level is important for stability and performance.

For this reason, understanding how autothrottles function is essential for safe flying, as pilots must be aware that their inputs can be overridden by the system to adhere to operational needs. This means that maintaining the correct thrust parameters is still a priority, and the autothrottle is designed to facilitate that automatically.