Could I fly a real Boeing 737-800?

[PIC007 82]

 

 

It cannot be that hard. Take a blade, cut here, cut there... You would be a little bit nervous, but once you calm down, it would be easy. Given that patient is in perfect condition, blades are sterile, what can possibly go wrong?

 

ROFL !!!!!!!!!!!!

[DazB 8]

So to put a slightly different twist on the topic…I totally agree about pre flight etc where you need to be taught what to look for (and more importantly why you’re looking for it) so lets incapacitate both pilots at cruise level and break the autopilot enough to eliminate an autoland.

 

In one seat you have a seasoned simulator pilot who has many hours behind a desk and is therefore familiar with the systems, dials and switches in front of him/her. Should no major emergencies occur I’d say that person could probably cope system wise to work out approaches and speeds required to get the plane on the ground without killing everyone. Please note I said get it on the ground rather than do it by the book correctly.

 

In the other seat is a GA pilot with hours in a real plane but no simulator experience of the aircraft they’ve suddenly taken charge of. In this scenario this would be me so whilst I’m happy to admit I would totally lost on some of the systems I would have an appreciation of what things are supposed to look like out of the window, an intuition of when things seem right or wrong and the experience to throw away and approach and go around if something didn’t feel right. Having driven a motorbike, a car and large truck I know all of them operate hugely different yet at the same time when it comes to visual and sensory feedback all of them are 100 percent exactly the same thing. In it's most basic form, 30mph in a truck or 138mph in a Mazda RX8 (yes I have done that) are no different in what is happening out of the window apart from the speed those visual clues reach your brain. As the rules of physics apply to both a 152 and an A380 I don’t see why the sensory input and seat of the pants feel would be too much different either. You’d be flying the approach quicker but other than that, you’re still flying the same approach and looking at the same runway out of the window.

 

So I’m thinking with the real world person holding the stick and the simulator person pressing the buttons those two as a crew would have a very good shot of making a perfectly safe landing and most likely getting a good movie deal out of it afterwards where I’d probably be played by Bruce Willis who is a similar age and like me, a bit fat and also bald.

 

So could it be done with that crew of two?

[Polar 30]

No way, don't even think you could, sorry

[levada 1]

Manual flight? Forget it, not even taxi. You couldn't taxi or take off or land even Cessna 172 with simulator practice only.

 

Wanna bet?  :rolleyes:

[PIC007 82]

Wanna bet?  :rolleyes:

I would take that bet but unfortunately there is no way to prove a negative so no way to verify that you don't have any time in a real plane. However if it could be proven, and you could find a plane owner dumb enough to let you try, you would need to place the bet money in an escrow account because your next of kin probably wouldn't honor the bet. And to be honest, I wouldn't' want to see them in that position.

 

About time the admins locked this, to leave more for next years thread :-)

[Guest]

It has a lot to do with the person despite whatever experience they may or may not have. And some aircraft are inherently stable, some have neutral stability and others are inherently unstable and they are respectively more difficult to fly. High performance and stability are often mutually exclusive. I would fancy my chances of flying and landing anything that is inherently or even neutrally stable. Beyond that type experience becomes more important. I have on several occasions landed a 737 in a commercial simulator and have had the instructor ask me "are you a pilot?" to which I answered yes and they say it shows! So do I believe that I could land a 737 VFR? Yes I do!

[pete_auau 1,163]

think the question here was  can you land  the 737  by your  self with no one else  in the cockpit, no instructor or  captain telling you what to do etc and the answer would be no.  but if  you had  a  captain next  to you,  you have  a better  chance  in landing

[RickB1293 9]

Please don't let me be one of the souls on board if you try.

[busdriver 258]

My 16 year old son, who is a self proclaimed sim expert on the Aerosoft Airbus X, and has about 50 hours of actual flight time on our Cessna 210 got an hour of time on my airlines Airbus A320 simulator, and simply put made a huge mess of things... It's like most of what the others have said in previous posts, the lack of fidelity between a desktop computer sim and the real thing is simply to much for the outcome to be succesful.

[Humpty 751]

LOL no chance.

[JetSet321 0]

A 737 is a bit of stretch, but finding out if you can actually fly a Cessna is as easy as saving up $200 and finding a flight school.

 

In my personal experience, I found that I was much off with the flight sim experience that I did have; I had no trouble taxing the aircraft on the ground. However, had my instructor not intervened, I would have probably stalled 20 feet above the runway on my first landing.

Your experience may vary, I encourage anyone who hasn't tried to go find out.

[mbunjes 1]

Of course you could.

[Paul12 2]

How about flying the entire flight via Autopilot and a Cat III landing.One the FMC etc are properly set one only has to reach 600 - 800 feet

and then switch the A/P on.

Is this feasable ?

 

Hubert Werni

[russert 0]

I jumpeated on a United 738 a few weeks ago and even with 800+ hours in the NGX and a real ATP in the E-170/190, I still felt a little behind the curve on the ground.  A lot of it comes down to the SOPs and flows.  The mental feel of being in the actual thing is way different than a desktop simulator.  I have no doubt a simmer could hand fly a 737 on a clear and perfectly calm day with no ATC going VFR, but one definitely won't be able to push back from ORD and make it to 28R/EE during rush hour.

[Guest]

Honestly, If you take the really hard core NGXer's who have put in hundreds, perhaps thousands of hour on VatSim and know the Efis, FMC, AP and FD etc. inside out, I think they could do it using the aircrafts automated systems alone (for God sake don't touch the Yoke, TQ or rudder) with a RW mentor on the ground talking them through it and encouraging them., Even in IFR conditions. Under the circumstances if they occurred I thing the professional on the ground would be happy to hear "We don't have a professional on board but we have an Anorak that knows the 737 systems inside out and can do exactly as you instruct". After the plane landed the pro on the ground would have a drink at the Airport bar with the Anorak and slap him on the back and say: “you did great job up there” and then go hit on the supermodels who just arrived back from the Caribbean while the Anorak finished his lemonade and read another article in PC pilot while he waits for his mommy to pick him up, bring him home and tuck him in.

 

If you are a serious simmers, grow a set and go fly a real airplane. What’s the point otherwise!

 

Mine are wearing our holes in my Jeans every month! LOL