Could you land with no forward visibility?  Take a look at AA-1897 which diverted after a massive hail storm shattered the front windshields on the flight deck (and did quite a number on the radome cover as well).

It appears the safety glass didn't break into the flight deck but the spidering made it impossible to see anything using the forward windows.

Is there any way to simulate total obscuration of the forward windscreens on a PMDG aircraft?  That would be an interesting challenge if it could be added to the Failure scenarios!

15 minutes ago, captain_adf said:

Could you land with no forward visibility?  Take a look at AA-1897 which diverted after a massive hail storm shattered the front windshields on the flight deck (and did quite a number on the radome cover as well).

It appears the safety glass didn't break into the flight deck but the spidering made it impossible to see anything using the forward windows.

Is there any way to simulate total obscuration of the forward windscreens on a PMDG aircraft?  That would be an interesting challenge if it could be added to the Failure scenarios!

In FS8 and FS9 there were IFR 2D panels for the C182 that filled the screen up. Change your viewpoint in the 3D panel to only see your panel(s)... that‘s probably the closest you can get.

Or change your weather to zero visibility

it‘s actually nothing else than an autoland at Cat 3c

Edited June 5, 20187 yr by Ephedrin

I don't the technical response nor the regulation in the matter but at least if your aircraft and the crew are both certified for ILS catIII approach, with the airport configuring the runway and ILS with the correct protections, then you would be safe.

Maybe you would be also allowed to perform an autoland following a catI or catII ils in this case as well?

Anyway, if you cannot see anything through the windshield, I would try to go as much as possible for an autoland. But this is only my logic and is based on no real pilot experience or procedure/regulation knowledge.

A manual landing totally blind would be very risky since performing the flare based only on instruments seems quite tricky to me.

Edited June 5, 20187 yr by Budbud

27 minutes ago, Budbud said:

Maybe you would be also allowed to perform an autoland following a catI or catII ils in this case as well?

FAR 91.3b

Done.

13 minutes ago, scandinavian13 said:

FAR 91.3b

Done.

Makes sense.

Thanks for the reference.

However, still remains to me what a professional pilot would do in this case, but I guess it depends on the situation and the available airports.

Would they perform an autoland on a runway not equipped with ILS (RNAV/GPS) or with an ILS catI?

Is it possible to land manually only with the instruments (flare)?

Edited June 5, 20187 yr by Budbud

Just get some IFR foggles and you can simulate it in any FS aeroplane same as you would in a real one.

Would it be possible for the pilots to put on goggles and then, at the relatively slow speed and low altitude of final approach, depressurize the aircraft, break out a small hole in front of the pilot flying so s/he could see?  I know aircraft have landed safely where the windshield was shattered on one side (in one incident as I recall, one of the pilots was sucked halfway out of the cockpit but pulled back in).

Mike

3 minutes ago, Mike777 said:

in one incident as I recall, one of the pilots was sucked halfway out of the cockpit but pulled back in

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_5390

A story I recall from decades ago from a KC135 pilot involved opening the side window and crabbing to get safely on the ground.  Much earlier than that, I vaguely recall a Beaver pilot with oil covered windscreen doing about the same thing.  Old military saying, "Plan for war and then improvise like hell when it happens."

10 minutes ago, downscc said:

KC135 pilot involved opening the side window and crabbing to get safely on the ground

Would be difficult on 747! 😁

I watched a program on UK tv were the pilot was sucked out of the windscreen and they held onto his legs, the aircrash investigation program then found the screen had been replaced with the wrong screws, the screw head was one size below the required size.

Edited June 6, 20187 yr by rjfry

15 hours ago, Budbud said:

I don't the technical response nor the regulation in the matter but at least if your aircraft and the crew are both certified for ILS catIII approach, with the airport configuring the runway and ILS with the correct protections, then you would be safe.

Maybe you would be also allowed to perform an autoland following a catI or catII ils in this case as well?

Anyway, if you cannot see anything through the windshield, I would try to go as much as possible for an autoland. But this is only my logic and is based on no real pilot experience or procedure/regulation knowledge.

A manual landing totally blind would be very risky since performing the flare based only on instruments seems quite tricky to me.

I can’t speak to how Airbus works as I fly a Boeing, but I assume it is similar in that the aircraft can perform an autoland as long as an ILS is available; it need not be a CATIII ILS. I’m not sure what this crew decided to do, but I would venture a guess that if they were able, they performed an autoland an then I believe I read that they were towed to the gate due to the lack of forward visibility.

13 hours ago, downscc said:

A story I recall from decades ago from a KC135 pilot involved opening the side window and crabbing to get safely on the ground.  Much earlier than that, I vaguely recall a Beaver pilot with oil covered windscreen doing about the same thing.  Old military saying, "Plan for war and then improvise like hell when it happens."

Kermit Weeks uses to do that on his AT-6 xD

yes this is one of many. you only see what the news want you to see. these event happens all the time.

how I know. I been working for the airline industry as aircraft mechanic for 36 years.