Now before you reply saying it's only a motion simulator, I'd like to make the point that FSX, P3D pilots can fly with real motion after logging some hours on good aircraft addons (PMDG and the like). I am not saying they are professional, talented pilots, but they could take over as pilot if and emergency (knock on wood) were to happen midflight.

Watch the video below.

I'd also like to say that the person who landed the plane in the video has used the PMDG 737 and trained himself on it. He is not a first time FSX flyer. He knows what to do, and he only mentions that he needs to add more stick force, because hey, Saitek and real aircraft yokes aren't the same.

 

You are forgetting the human factor! Flying a simulator there is no fear of death.  How do you know you wouldn't be overwhelmed with fear, anxiety etc... if you ended up in a real world situation? I say you are more likely to kill every.  

Here's 27 pages of discussion on this very topic...

Let's not write another 27 pages here...

Not being dismissive or rude but this subject comes up a lot and a youtube video of one person (we don't know) flying another sim, interesting as it is, isn't going to change anything.

ATB

Ian

yep  another  one ,  will  go the  same  way  as  the other  threads  on this  topic

Ok, its not a crime to discuss.

I wouldn't disagree in principle. Of course someone who is very into the systems and sees the sim as a study sim for sure would have more chances of success than a non simmer. If all that we do on the simulator was totally out of reality, we wouldn't like it after all. We like it because its realistic (as much as it can be).

Now, from there to success is a big IF, when the g-loads, proportions and psychological factors come seriously into play in a real aircraft. Especially the last one can take out any knowledge you have attained.

To my mind comes a simple example. Someone gets a driver license examination after having spent hours behind the same real car and during the exam he/she can get tremendously anxious making mistakes. Now, I can imagine this anxiety some magnitudes greater in the scenario you describe, and thats enough to ruin everything.But certainly more chances than any non pilot, I wouldn't argue about that.

Whenever this discussion comes up, I'm always amused at the apparent belief that ATP pilots are trained to fly using actual aircraft.  That just isn't true.  ATP pilots learn on simulators.

Hi Folks,

Yeah - found that pretty amazing - get checked out in a sim on Friday - Monday morning show up for work sitting in the real seat...

Regards,
Scott

 

By the time someone earns their ATP they have over a thousand hours of actual airplane experience and generally have taken a few certificate flight examinations in a real airplane. Sure a 737 pilot gets typed in a simulator, but then spends some amount of time under a Check Captain in a real airplane before being allowed to fly the line. Most airlines will then require a new guy to sit in the right seat for many years under the tutelage of experienced Captains. 

Would an armchair pilot trained only on a PC sim be able to land safely a Level D simulator? Probably yes, I have done it many times, never crashed and actually found it pretty easy. Once, I also avoided an aircraft that was crossing my path (a nice gift from the instructor).

Would it be the same with the real thing? Not so easy: emotions are a part of us and have a huge influence on our judgements and performances: in a sim you can only hurt your ego; in a real airplane it's a different matter.

Ask a surgeon about the first time he/she had to use a scalpel for real. In that case, you have had a long profesional training, you have been there many times watching, and there are expert colleagues around you who can assist, advise, and help you if needed. You are risking the patient's life, not yours or that of 200 people. But I bet your legs are shaking just the same. 

Now imagine trying to land a full 737 all alone.

Andrea

I'm a master in Real Racing 3. I constantly get lap times around Le Mans of 02:40 mins, nearly 1 min better than the real LMP1 cars.

I think that if Sebastien Buemi felt ill before the 24h of Le Mans, I could be handy and help Toyota win the race. After all, I know how to take every corner perfectly.

Now, like I said, I never mentioned that desktop-FS pilots are not professional, talented pilots, but they could speed "the learning process" up when they familiarize themselves with flight deck systems. 

6 hours ago, petkez said:

You are forgetting the human factor! Flying a simulator there is no fear of death.  How do you know you wouldn't be overwhelmed with fear, anxiety etc... if you ended up in a real world situation? I say you are more likely to kill every.  

Just remember, you never know. Some people are different. Now I'm not disagreeing with you, it could happen. But let's not take it too seriously (like the movie Sully) and just say that FS pilots can land full motion sims, maybe even real aircraft with the right amount of training.

They could find their way in the cockpit, sure. But the tri dimensionality of it all, coupled with the sense of speed (which you don't get while simming), the little chops and movement, the sound, the rush and the "what's it doing now?" lack of general awareness is just too much to handle.

Try to land a Piper Tomahawk for real, in a confined space, in a 5kt headwind. It's super easy in the sim, a completely different feeling in the real thing.

2 minutes ago, Guevorkyan said:

They could find their way in the cockpit, sure. But the tri dimensionality of it all, coupled with the sense of speed (which you don't get while simming), the little chops and movement, the sound, the rush and the "what's it doing now?" lack of general awareness is just too much to handle.

Try to land a Piper Tomahawk for real, in a confined space, in a 5kt headwind. It's super easy in the sim, a completely different feeling in the real thing.

You're making a good point to some cocky flight sim pilots who claim that they are "A380 certified."

As a pilot you are multitasking moment by moment. Correct.

As a matter of fact, we had an FO who was an ACE in flight simulators (both PCs and Level-B types), and had the licences to fly and all, but he had a lack of general airmanship and stick-and-rudder skills. He was an excellent IFR pilot en-route, but landing was not really his thing.

There are a lot of things to consider. Real life private pilots or even small turboprop commercial pilots might have problems landing a 70 ton jet. Remember that when you are in the air, the rails are no longer there and you aer just another particle flying through a body of air.