I am sure everyone here has seen the mythbusters were one of the guys tried to land a full motion level D. The first time he tried without any help and from what was said and from what it seemed like he never had any type of flying experience including Microsoft FS. He was then given help by a pilot acting as the "ATC" bringing down the plane after the pilots had the fish etc.. Well he landed it. It was not great but according to the sim tech it was a landing that everyone would survive.That being said I think many of the 'Pro NGX" guys would be able to land a real world NGX if they stayed calm and had good weather and no failures. Most of us would be able to set the plane up to autoland and just have a real world NGX pilot on the radio tell us when to put the flaps down etc anyway. Gate to Gate is a different story. The biggest problem i think would be taxing the aircraft! It is not like driving a car that is for sure. Takeoff would be a challenge but again if calm I think it could be done. TO/GA, AP engage at 1,000ft etc.. Without a F/O the flight would be a lot to handle though! But two NGX FS pros I really do think if they kept their calm they would be able to t/o (no taxi) and land the aircraft safely. It is not like ATC would be giving them STARs and or speed restrictions etc.. They would give you the easiest and most simple approach they can find. Even with real world ATC and all that I still think two NGX pros could have a safe flight, but the thing that would worry me the most would be ATC. What pilots do every day on normal flights is not the most complicated thing in the world and something we do on our sims all the time, of course it is more challenging and much more pressure in real life and quicker no pause bottom in real life I understand that, airline pilots do a great job at their job. But pilots really earn their money (the little some make these days) in emergency situations, or abnormal situations. That is what they train in the sim the most.And that is when everyone relies on the pilots the most.Sum it up: Good conditions, calm and collective NGX pilot will = safe landingJust my 2cents. Steven Herzberg

danpark you mention something very important (staying ahead of the AC) my first flight instructor was also a Traffic controller and from the first lesson he kept telling me stay ahead of the plane and its something that till this day i keep in my head even when im not at work......

Move on up to the big guys. I once had a full sim session in a 747 simulator. while the real ATPL worked all the buttons I just controlled the joystick and throttle and watched my airspeed and magenta guidance bars. I ended that session saturated with sweat and very sore arm muscles from being so rigid trying to keep the bars centred. Even as a ppl I could never say I could actually land a 737 - I am certain I could fly it - but landing - that would require toodling around in a holding pattern on autopilot for some time communicating with air traffic control for the required and correct FMC settings and aircraft state.... then handing it over to the computer for a full autoland. OF course stoppnig it would depend on whether it had steel or Carbon brakes...hehe

OF course stoppnig it would depend on whether it had steel or Carbon brakes...hehe

Cant you just decide that in the FMC?? Steven Herzberg

I remember the first time I started taking flight lessons. Although it was 12 years ago, I did have quite a bit of time in FS98 before I began. I know the realism of that sim is nothing compared to what we have today, but when I got into the left seat for my first lesson I felt like I was in the twilight zone. It's all about the feel. Fortunately I didn't feel that way when I was released for my first solo! After 10 years having my PPL there are times I get a bit sidetracked while flying, and that is just in a Piper Cherokee. Bottom line is that it would take a small miracle for me, even with a PPL, to land a real 737, expecially knowing what it feels like to be pilot in command. It can be overwhelming even when you are a trained and skilled pilot.There is just way to much going on in that cockpit. It would be a fun dream though! Cheers, Pete

I think the biggest challenge would be the landing. If you've never flown a real airplane before, there's no way you would be able to land a 737. Even if you're used to fly a GA plane, I doubt you would be able to land a 737. No matter how much FS experience you have. And also, the pressure and stress factor flying a 737 without any training would be intense. Sim vs real life is two completely different things. If you've never flown an airplane before, even flying a Cessna 172 would be too much to handle all on your own. It takes a lot of practice and training. Even with years of flightsimming it took me several flight lessons to be able to land a cessna 172 all on my own in real life. I still remember when I first started flying multi engine airplanes. The first flight was pretty overwhelming. But as I gained more experience and training it became a lot easier :(

I'd think you be able to take off as that's more just physics and with the basic understanding of rotation speed and how fast you can rotate you get it off the ground but, even that be a really new feeling. One thing the sim can't give you is a gut feeling on movement. Then once up with a understanding of power and pitch and trim you be able to hand fly around or understand the AP mode etc, but then a new gut feeling that the sim can't provide. I want even touch on the landing as that's just plan to know you would need to know what your doing and not something a home sim would give you other then just a known process of event but then executing and feeling comfortable doing those are night and day. But to one day take these known and studied principal from a home PC to a real thing would be a very high work load even with a crew member as there is just crew communication training. For me where FS and PMDG shine most in learning procedures and flows. Also to trust your instruments under IFR conditions and how they work. I'm sure FS be good for if you were flying in or outta a airport that you've never been to or frequent often to study the charts and see it in action. BUT if someone/company is willing to let me try I'd surly go for it! Yeah I've flown C152 I mean B738 = ) in FS9/X

heh.. In flight sim, i can do anything.. But i also kniow that foor real life all that flight sim experience means I "might" be able to get the nose off the ground, and then get everyone killed when i crash..

Hypothetically, if you were to learn the PMDG 737 NGX backwards and forwards and had solid radio skills, could you get into a real-life 737NG and fly it from gate to gate successfully? What would be the biggest challenges posed by flying the real aircraft to a highly experienced 737 NGX flight simulator pilot in such a scenario?

I find it never endingly interesting that a question like this comes up every six months or so. It usually comes up in the context of "If the PIC and right seater were poisoned and were incapacitated or killed, could you save the day with your FS skills?". The answer, in my mind, is simple... No. No matter how much time you acquire on the PMDG NGX, translating that to real flight doesn't work. If anyone tells you otherwise, do not ask them to be your copilot, even in simulation. I have flown real a/c, desk top simluations, and the 737 and other full motion simulators at the United Training Center in Denver. You might have learned great instrument skills. You might have even learned that FMC/CDU backward and forward. All that goes to the crapper when you are challenged with the various nuances, and cockpit management demands and requirements of flying an aircraft to a landing in IMC in a CAT I or II airport with 200 some odd souls behind you. If you have never flown the real deal, you are going to be too busy filling your shorts to pay much attention to anything else - stall horn, GPWS warning, right seater screaming in absolute terror - all come to mind. There are two things I learned when I was in Naval Aviation (way back in the dark ages); complacency kills and not recognizing your own limitations kills you and others worser. The "own limitations" bit comes into play with your question.

I find it never endingly interesting that a question like this comes up every six months or so. It usually comes up in the context of "If the PIC and right seater were poisoned and were incapacitated or killed, could you save the day with your FS skills?". The answer, in my mind, is simple... No. No matter how much time you acquire on the PMDG NGX, translating that to real flight doesn't work. If anyone tells you otherwise, do not ask them to be your copilot, even in simulation. I have flown real a/c, desk top simluations, and the 737 and other full motion simulators at the United Training Center in Denver. You might have learned great instrument skills. You might have even learned that FMC/CDU backward and forward. All that goes to the crapper when you are challenged with the various nuances, and cockpit management demands and requirements of flying an aircraft to a landing in IMC in a CAT I or II airport with 200 some odd souls behind you. If you have never flown the real deal, you are going to be too busy filling your shorts to pay much attention to anything else - stall horn, GPWS warning, right seater screaming in absolute terror - all come to mind. There are two things I learned when I was in Naval Aviation (way back in the dark ages); complacency kills and not recognizing your own limitations kills you and others worser. The "own limitations" bit comes into play with your question.

Yes...but can we dream? Fact is, considering that the flight deck door will be locked, no ones is getting in there anyway if the Captain and FO is not conscious.

dude .. haven't you seen those movies where the ATC/tower talks a passenger on a airliner in .... if the guy could do it, so could we.

ROFL! Thats about the funniest post I have seen in a while, thanks for the laughs! Next thing you will tell me is that the Enterprise is real and we really can do Warp 9!

ROFL! Thats about the funniest post I have seen in a while, thanks for the laughs! Next thing you will tell me is that the Enterprise is real and we really can do Warp 9!

But it is and it can.

Seriously thought, Tom said it best. We all have the 'save the plane' dream once in a while, but dreaming it and the reality of it are light years apart. Of course if the crew is dead and you are the only one on the plane, go for it, what do you have to lose?

Yes...but can we dream? Fact is, considering that the flight deck door will be locked, no ones is getting in there anyway if the Captain and FO is not conscious.

That's a staggering piece of logic nobody has offered up. hahaha Do the FA's have any emergency access?

I find it never endingly interesting that a question like this comes up every six months or so. It usually comes up in the context of "If the PIC and right seater were poisoned and were incapacitated or killed, could you save the day with your FS skills?". The answer, in my mind, is simple... No. No matter how much time you acquire on the PMDG NGX, translating that to real flight doesn't work. If anyone tells you otherwise, do not ask them to be your copilot, even in simulation. I have flown real a/c, desk top simluations, and the 737 and other full motion simulators at the United Training Center in Denver. You might have learned great instrument skills. You might have even learned that FMC/CDU backward and forward. All that goes to the crapper when you are challenged with the various nuances, and cockpit management demands and requirements of flying an aircraft to a landing in IMC in a CAT I or II airport with 200 some odd souls behind you. If you have never flown the real deal, you are going to be too busy filling your shorts to pay much attention to anything else - stall horn, GPWS warning, right seater screaming in absolute terror - all come to mind. There are two things I learned when I was in Naval Aviation (way back in the dark ages); complacency kills and not recognizing your own limitations kills you and others worser. The "own limitations" bit comes into play with your question.

I think that a confident person that can keep calm would be able to configure the autopilot to land. However, I can't imagine how terrified I would be.