Could I fly a real Boeing 737-800?

[Guest]

There is obviously quite a bit of tongue and check in the post but since you've got your nickers in such a twist over it the aircraft in my avatar is the one I fly most. It has no engine, only a few instrument, one final glide computer, can do a good 132kts and in the right conditions cover a few hundred KM and climb to double digits thousand of feet.

 

If push came to shove and I had too! Sure, I would fly just about anything and I would unless a better alternative was available be using the TLAR method. In a perfect world you know everything about what your flying but when your in the air and the chips are down you have to do what you can. With my knowledge of the NGX which is rusty at this stage and was never complete and my flying experience, if I was on a 737NG and both pilots where incapacitated I would volunteer if there was no one else more qualified. If one of you hard core NGXer's with no real world flying experience was also on board you would be a great asset in the right seat but I would be PIC.

[avgaskoolaid 292]

There is obviously quite a bit of tongue and check in the post but since you've got your nickers in such a twist over it the aircraft in my avatar is the one I fly most. It has no engine, only a few instrument, one final glide computer, can do a good 132kts and in the right conditions cover a few hundred KM and climb to double digits thousand of feet.

 

If push came to shove and I had too! Sure, I would fly just about anything and I would unless a better alternative was available be using the TLAR method. In a perfect world you know everything about what your flying but when your in the air and the chips are down you have to do what you can. With my knowledge of the NGX which is rusty at this stage and was never complete and my flying experience, if I was on a 737NG and both pilots where incapacitated I would volunteer if there was no one else more qualified. If one of you hard core NGXer's with no real world flying experience was also on board you would be a great asset in the right seat but I would be PIC.

Sorry, I guess I didn't pick up on the tone you intended to convey. I mean, obviously if we had to choose between an NGX pilot and a complete layperson, one should pick the NGX pilot. But there is still a great likelihood that they will end up breaking some part of the airplane, especially if they haven't had any flight experience. I have about 120 hours in various single engine aircraft, but I would personally be terrified at the prospect of landing a 737 without having had any experience with the airplane before. I had the opportunity to fly the EAA's Tri-Motor last summer, and even that was a bit of a handful.

 

But of course, this is all hypothetical. You can consider my nickers officially untwisted! 

[Hairy_Satchel 0]

My biggest problem flying in the left seat of a real C172 for the fist time after hundreds of hours on the M$ simulator was all the bad habits I picked up. Fixating on gauges being the worst. But also I realized I wasn't afraid of flying in the air but afraid of the ground and stalling six inches above. Not to mention the roll-out that follows. Understanding aircraft systems, navigation, communications can easily be learned through studying and time in the simulator. But at the end of the day, real stick and rudder skills are all that matters and can only really be understood and mastered through practice in type in the real thing. But, if the fit was to hit the san and both captain and first officer flat lined, I'm somewhat confident I could land a complex, heavy aircraft with help from the ground. After all, what choice would I have since the landing would be entered into my log book.         

[pocketwatch50 6]

I think the point everyone missed is when the cocky overconfident sim pilot gets behind the controls of a real aircraft the realization that the run down the runway could cost him his life will put a heavy dampening effect on his enthusiasm. Even if he actually has the ability to fly the 172 will he psychologically be able to do it or will panic set in?

[jaydor 233]

So if you thought you were also good at ShipSim you think it's OK to dock a Liner?  Also if you are good at WarCraft you could command a Battalion of soldiers.

 

You have to learn the difference between a game and real life..  I would suggest you just play and enjoy Flight simulator as it is was designed to be...  Leave reality to the professionals..

[Hairy_Satchel 0]

For me flight simulator is a tool I use to enhance my real world flying. I would encourage any simulator pilot interested enough to think about such scenarios to go to the airport with a CFI and find out if you have the right stuff. You might find it easier than you think.   

[xplanery 250]

 

 

So if you thought you were also good at ShipSim you think it's OK to dock a Liner?  Also if you are good at WarCraft you could command a Battalion of soldiers.

 

You have to learn the difference between a game and real life..  I would suggest you just play and enjoy Flight simulator as it is was designed to be...  Leave reality to the professionals..

 

 

If the pilots were incapacitated, fuel was running out & nobody with real world flying experience was around would you NOT attempt land the aircraft? I certainly would try as there would be nothing to lose and a lot to win in that case. 

 

 

I think the point everyone missed is when the cocky overconfident sim pilot gets behind the controls of a real aircraft the realization that the run down the runway could cost him his life will put a heavy dampening effect on his enthusiasm. Even if he actually has the ability to fly the 172 will he psychologically be able to do it or will panic set in?

 

Well, in most cases the sim pilot would have time to plan his action, perhaps experiment a bit with controls in a safe altitude. I don't think initial panic would last very long, most likely one would fully concentrate on doing whatever is needed for survival.

[n4gix 4,957]

If the pilots were incapacitated, fuel was running out & nobody with real world flying experience was around would you NOT attempt land the aircraft? I certainly would try as there would be nothing to lose and a lot to win in that case.

This ^^^^.

 

It's a binary choice:

1. Do nothing
2. Do something

The outcome of the selection set goes from being utterly nihilistic to marginally optimistic.

[Christopher Low 5,393]

I would have no chance of flying a 737 in the real world, and anyone who gave me the opportunity to try would have no chance of flying one from that day forth!!

[computerflyer 6]

Pilots of modern airliners fly the planes mainly by flipping switches and turning knobs that control the autopilot.  Even when they fly the plane manually, their control inputs often go through, and can be modified by, computers. 

 

If I were in an airliner where both pilots were disabled, I'd try to contact ATC on the radio, explain the emergency, and request that they put me in communication with an airline pilot.  I'd ask the pilot which knobs to turn to get the plane in the vicinity of a real long runway, and then I'd ask how to turn on the Autoland feature.

[ADamiani 470]

I think the point everyone missed is when the cocky overconfident sim pilot gets behind the controls of a real aircraft the realization that the run down the runway could cost him his life will put a heavy dampening effect on his enthusiasm. Even if he actually has the ability to fly the 172 will he psychologically be able to do it or will panic set in?

 

This is a very sensible point. That's what I meant when I wrote that there is a lot of speed and mass involved when you have the real thing in your hands. This means that, compared to the flightsim situation, there is a lot of sensory input reminding you second by second that this is for real: no reset button.

 

And this can put a real strain on your nerves: I can land an md80 and a 747-400 level-D simulator: I have done that a few times. Does that mean that I could do that in a real situation? Meaning that both pilots are incapacitated and that there's just me? (this also rules out the Belgian journalist example: he KNEW that in case of a major mistake on his part a real pilot was ready to come to the rescue)

 

I'm not sure: we'll have to wait until both pilots eat fish to know :-)

 

Oh btw, for the next nonsensical discussion (because these are vaguely nonsensical discussions, but hey, we are also here for the fun, aren't we?) my proposal is:

 

In the double-fish scenario above, in a 747-400, you have both a 172 rl leasure vfr pilot and an accomplished PC 747 simmer (PSX level). They are your last resort. Who would you put in command? I don't want to hijack the thread, so if this is interesting, we can move this question to another topic

[glenecho3 9]

I think the point everyone missed is when the cocky overconfident sim pilot gets behind the controls of a real aircraft the realization that the run down the runway could cost him his life will put a heavy dampening effect on his enthusiasm. Even if he actually has the ability to fly the 172 will he psychologically be able to do it or will panic set in?

You're correct about that. All my flight simming didn't prepare me for my first stall recovery. That *feeling* you get...feeling the plane move backwards as you create the stall...it'll make you sweat for sure. Can't replicate that in a sim. 

 

But...in a pinch where that dream (or nightmare) scenario comes up I'd still rather have a flight simmer manning the cockpit than a welder or nurse.

 

EDIT: Yes I know the plane didn't move backwards but that's how it feels.

[Domini99 0]

I always played A2A's products, and i thought i could do this all, i mean i got yoke and stuff for my PC, now when i finally got in a real 172, it was a lot different.
Ofcourse, starting the engine and setting up your GPS/radios wasn't a problem, the person next to me moved it to the runway, and he said that i was on the controls and he would only do something when stuff's going real wrong.

Well, i applied thrust, and as you would expect the aircraft veered to the left, but it wasn't very easy to keep it on the centerline, while it was in FSX.
When i pulled the yoke i took off very poor, i could not really keep the plane flying level, i was constantly flying up and down, banking left and right, only after 10/20 minutes i kinda got the hang of it and managed to sort-of trim the plane and get it level at 2000feet, and i was still going up and down, and up again, and down again.

He told me that i was going to do the landing myself, i was kinda affraid.... I bounced 4 times  .

The instructor was amused and i really liked it, but i think toke me a few more flights to really get the hang of flying it. The controls are so light!

 

 

 

I think that you could maybe get the airliner in the air, enable autopilot and hope it keeps working, and do a autolanding, but i'm pretty sure you won't gonna be able to manually land it... or atleast in such way the aircraft doesn't break up on touchdown.

Altough i would really wanna try in a million dollar simulator!

 

 

On the airport in Germany (don't know which one) i may still often fly a 182 because my grandpa was the previous owner, after i flew the 172 for the first time he let me fly his 182 a couple of times and gave me some flying tips  ^_^

[Patco Lch 1,482]

One BIG difference. I have never heard of a desk top sim pilot spinning out of his chair hitting the floor and dying because of a mistake he made, someone else made, or the cheese holes just lined up.

[GrahamBu 12]

One BIG difference. I have never heard of a desk top sim pilot spinning out of his chair hitting the floor and dying because of a mistake he made, someone else made, or the cheese holes just lined up.

I'm sure many a simmer has spun out of his chair when FSX gave an OOM after a 10 hr flight hahaha