You are a passenger on a B737-800NG and both pilots are unconscious. Could you land it?

[EGLL77W 1,508]

First Things First: Could you get the pilots body out of the seat without knocking some of the controls? It's actually quite difficult, we've practiced it a couple of times in recurrent training, not as easy as pushing someone out of a dining room chair, particularly if they're a big fella. Honestly, you may well be better off just sitting on the dead pilots lap, for all the risk involved.

 

Thirdly: A Go-Around, in the possible event you need to go around, I'd imagine that you'd probably overspeed, The Automatics, would idle the throttle, and before you know if, you're at A-Max about to go into A-Floor, and this cycle will continue on...

 

Definitely things I wondered too. Especially getting a full size man out a 737's which is tiny!

[Guest JimRodger]

You just know that as you stand to volunteer your services the guy behind you would stand up and say "Hi, I'm the Chief test pilot for Boeing, is there anything I can do?"

 

Jim

[pete_auau 1,158]

Simple answer: No.

 

More in depth anwser: Perhaps.

 

First Things First: Could you get the pilots body out of the seat without knocking some of the controls? It's actually quite difficult, we've practiced it a couple of times in recurrent training, not as easy as pushing someone out of a dining room chair, particularly if they're a big fella. Honestly, you may well be better off just sitting on the dead pilots lap, for all the risk involved.

 

Secondly: The A320 flap lever? Not as easy as you may think, even the 737 lever I'm sure some of you may find issues with somehow...

 

Thirdly: A Go-Around, in the possible event you need to go around, I'd imagine that you'd probably overspeed, The Automatics, would idle the throttle, and before you know if, you're at A-Max about to go into A-Floor, and this cycle will continue on...

 

Fourthly: These things are designed to be flown by 2 crew, if not 3 in some cases, you are one man, don't fool yourself to thinking that it'll be alright. Even for a fully trained and experienced pilot, operating a two-man aircraft by himself will find that he will be pushed towards his limits in that situation.

 

Fifthly: Do you even know how to transmit over the radios? Work the RMP? That's not modeled in FS, so most of yall wouldn't have any experience with what to do there.

 

However, I will give you this, if you find a plane, and have had a fair few hours on it in FS if it was a high quality Add on like PMDG, FSL, or Leonardo MD, then, I'd say you'd have the best chance of most people on board of being able to set it up for an Autoland, after receiving vectors to an Airport with a Cat II or greater ILS...

 

Ró.

This made the only sound sense in this thread

[Drew_Melia 0]

Ronan is right..... I've had some RW experience in HS748's and Convair CV580 airframes. I have had the privilege of a couple of half day sessions in full motion simulators - one a 737 300, the other an A320. Yes, the knobs and switches are familiar and we know more-or-less what they do, but what we lack is experience of the inertia, the feel. I was surprised, even shocked by the weight of the controls, the force required to put the aircraft where you want it. how far to move the throttles, and even if every thing is nice and bonny on the approach, that last thirty feet is the bit that makes all the difference. We'd end up slamming it onto the runway or floating for a couple of hundred metres and run out of room. I also had the privilege of sitting in the jump seat in an A320. The Captain landed manually... I was amazed at the number of small control inputs he made on the side stick during the last 1000 feet.

 

So... 1000 hours on a PC, straight into the left seat and land safely? Not a chance.

[eNuffSaid 4]

I've completed almost all beginner FSX missions. If the cockpit panel has a USB connector for my keyboard and access to Google, piece of cake! :lol:

[paulyg123 135]

The FAA did run research into this, and the success rate of people successfully landing a commercial aircraft is only 1% among people with a current valid PPL.

 

 

I agree, no one has ever landed my LD767 or 737NGX. Ihave tried over 50 visitors and all crashed (with me talking them down). As for me - 15 years of simming and 8 times in a 767 and 737-800 full motion sim, I know I can land any Boeing jet. I am awaiting the PMDG 777 so I can learn it and do 4 hours in a Leved D sim.

 

Landing a plane is not hard - or there will be 10 crashes a day. It better be a simple task. You just gotta know what to do and know to control your plane. Most of us got it down pretty good.

[VIPERGTSR01 22]

Yes.

[Jackal. 25]

I wouldn't rule out your plane being shot that as well, another thing to worry about.

[Luis_KMIA 242]

It's a fun topic to discuss. I do wonder about force feedback with manual flying, which unfortunately can't be modeled with current hardware capabilities. My instinct would be to make sure the weather radar is on and get into a holding pattern near an airport, so I can program things for a smooth autoland.

 

One thing is for sure, my first words at the press conference would be, "I'd like to thank Captain Robert Randazzo and his team at PMDG"

[rhanzir 0]

first, sorry for my eng.

 

 

question for real pilots.

If someone can land a plane in the real flight simulator, is that a proof that it can also land in a real aircraft?

(fear, etc. aside)

 

Robert Hanzir

[Airbus Commander 563]

question for real pilots.

If someone can land a plane in the real flight simulator, is that a proof that it can also land in a real aircraft?

(fear, etc. aside)

 

No, not at all, sure there are real pilots out there who landed it in the sim only to go and c#ck it up in the real thing...

It does add to their chances though...

 

Ró.

[Jackal. 25]

It's a fun topic to discuss. I do wonder about force feedback with manual flying, which unfortunately can't be modeled with current hardware capabilities. My instinct would be to make sure the weather radar is on and get into a holding pattern near an airport, so I can program things for a smooth autoland.

 

One thing is for sure, my first words at the press conference would be, "I'd like to thank Captain Robert Randazzo and his team at PMDG"

 

They wouldn't even get you go to into a holding pattern. You wouldn't even be flying the plane so to speak. You'd be asked to fly xyz turn this leaver , press that knob etc.

 

I can't help but think it would be worse if you fly the PMDG or similar. Because you'd probably skip steps that ATC/FAA would ask you to do on the count you think you know how to fly it.

[rhanzir 0]

Tnx, Ronan.

Sure there was situations where real pilot landed aircraft in real life, but did not managed in simulator.

Weather conditions, fear and assume plane in perfect condition. If you can land in real sim, you agree that he has good chance doing it with real aircraft?

 

Robert

[g_precentralis 191]

There are no reason to skip steps or disobey ATC instructions, they are there to help you. They already know the best chances are with autoland so they will vector you carefully to best positioned and equipped runway, with all significant steps, and in that situation it is good to know where switches are positioned, as it is very hard to explain positions of switches via radio. For example, while NGX player can easily set instructed heading in MCP, some PPL guy than never saw a 737 cockpit maybe turn speed knob and go to overspeed.

 

So, I think its very realistic to safely program aircraft to land via autoland, I easily can give more than 50% chances for success, but hand landing an airliner is nearly impossible without training in real sim or ac.

 

@Rónán O Cadhain: Your observations are very interesting, and its very true that the biggest problem is not flying itself but all that more or less simple jobs you cannot actually simulate at PC simulator, like PTT button, setting the seat correctly... Moving the 80-100kg unconscious pilot would be a nightmare.

[Jackal. 25]

If both pilots are unconscious, there's a good chance one of them is slumped over the flight controls. Could you recover from a nose dive?