Could you fly the plane in an emergency?????????

[medhead]

If, as Markis10 points out, the real need is to communicate with someone who knows what they are doing I'd rather back a crew member, be it CSM or FA, over the enthusiastic amateur.

Exactly! If they have exhausted all the crew on the aircraft as options and decide what the hell lets just get some random person I'd be kissing my backside goodbye. In fact I might just put my hand up so I can see what was going to kill me.

Examples from private aviation are a world apart from commercial aircraft, IMO. This is also not a question of a trained commercial pilot stepping in, but some random who thinks they've got the right stuff.


Sent from the Throne

 

[mosanator]

I did a 737 Simulator flight this week.

Took off and landed at ORD in a snow storm (both Day and Night)

Took off and landed at Hong Kong Kai Tak in Snow Storm (they forgot to turn off the snow from ORD- Now that was a first!)

Landed at Kai Tak with Starbord Engine out!

Just out of interest where did you do the sim? Sounds like fun!

My answer would be NO - I would not consider an "interest" and a very basic understanding of how a plane functions anywhere near enough to contemplate actually flying!

 

[markis10]

Examples from private aviation are a world apart from commercial aircraft, IMO.

A King Air is a commercial aircraft BTW, far removed from a C172, so it was quite a feat in itself.

 

[medhead]

A King Air is a commercial aircraft BTW, far removed from a C172, so it was quite a feat in itself.

Indeed, I believe I've been in one flying to YBEE. Landing it is Certainly something I wouldn't want to try. However, a wife would has sat next to her husband for who knows how many hours probably has a basic level of familiarity with the aircraft that I don't have, and it doesn't really provide a good comparison with the average person sitting in the back of large passenger jets.


Sent from the Throne

 

[markis10]

Indeed, I believe I've been in one flying to YBEE. Landing it is Certainly something I wouldn't want to try. However, a wife would has sat next to her husband for who knows how many hours probably has a basic level of familiarity with the aircraft that I don't have, and it doesn't really provide a good comparison with the average person sitting in the back of large passenger jets.

In the King air case though it was not a wife but the owner who was sitting down the back with the family, had no time in the plane, no IFR rating and very low time in a C172, he actually could not stop the climb for some time as it went 7000ft above its assigned altitude, that actually makes a pretty good comparison in my books as someone who has flown one on many an occasion as PIC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOHbmSg4pzI

 

[Sifor]

Radio button is LHS of the Yoke (either Captain seat LHS or Co-pilot seat RHS). Frequencies are on the middle top of dash ( at least on a 737 or Cessna)

It is my understanding that PTT on the 380 is the front trigger on the stick... the red button is AP aka potential failure

 

[infinity]

Just out of interest where did you do the sim? Sounds like fun!

My answer would be NO - I would not consider an "interest" and a very basic understanding of how a plane functions anywhere near enough to contemplate actually flying!

Darling Harbour Sydney. Was originally booked via Red Balloon but you can go direct!

 

[harvyk]

Radio button is LHS of the Yoke (either Captain seat LHS or Co-pilot seat RHS). Frequencies are on the middle top of dash ( at least on a 737 or Cessna)

yes but the obvious button on the LHS of the yoke is actually the ap disconnect button. Also frequencies on the top of the dash? i beleive thats the MCP that you are looking at, play around with them mid flight and not know what you're doing and you enter a world of pain...

 

[TonyHancock]

Oh dear whilst everyone had been discussing what button is where we seem to have crashed.

 

[yohy?!]

Pretty sure this question popped up in the 'Ask The Pilot' thread at some point and the answer was along the lines of 'don't even bother'

 

[tuppaware]

Mythbusters did a thing on this.

I remember about it crashing every time they got into the simulator.

MythBusters Episode 94: Air Plane Hour

 

[grozzy]

I think mythbusters found that without assistance your chances are not good. If you can figure out the radio and get talked through the landing you should be able to do it.
Considering the probable scenario of not doing anything is a crash, you wouldn't make the situation any worse by having a go.

 

[TonyHancock]

Considering the probable scenario of not doing anything is a crash, you wouldn't make the situation any worse by having a go.

....unless you thought you knew what you were doing. In the situation you are talking about you almost need a complete novice so that they follow instructions to the letter. To me that is not the "enthusiastic amateur"...and certainly not the one I know. :shock:

 

[anat0l]

I think mythbusters found that without assistance your chances are not good. If you can figure out the radio and get talked through the landing you should be able to do it.
Considering the probable scenario of not doing anything is a crash, you wouldn't make the situation any worse by having a go.

Putting aside the nature of Mythbusters (viz. the same nature of Wikipedia), I think from the blurb it really is not a good chance of landing an aircraft as a civilian.

The first struggle, as everyone has alluded to, is to find out a way to communicate with someone else. Fail to do that and you're done for. Press the wrong button and you're done for.

Once communication is up, you'd better hope whoever listens to you proactively does something (e.g. pinpoint your position, clear the airspace so you don't run into something, or tell you to move so you definitely don't run into something!) before they get someone quicksmart to tell you how to fly the aircraft.

The end statement of the blurb of the Mythbusters episode says:

However, even though the test was a success, the pilot pointed out that most modern planes are so advanced that their autopilot systems can literally land the plane by themselves, negating the need for a civilian pilot.

I don't know what jb747 has to say about this, but I have my doubts as to whether that can be taken as is. For a pilot it may seem "literally", though this statement also mentions nothing about everything else besides landing (and there's more of that to be done before you actually land, let alone if you do not land at your anticipated destination).

Also, if the course is changed for whatever reason (emergency, terrorist action, etc.) then your autopilot system is useless on its original course.

You probably can't do worse by having a go. You were going to die otherwise anyway, right?

 

[amaroo]

Makes you wonder why they don't have a big red sticker that states - "push this to talk to someone on the ground" Maybe can't fit it on the dash......so, it could be a simple as "THIS ONE"

 

[Sifor]

However, even though the test was a success, the pilot pointed out that most modern planes are so advanced that their autopilot systems can literally land the plane by themselves, negating the need for a civilian pilot.

While there might be some truth to that statement, if you don't know how to exactly enter the ILS data (notwithstanding the complex nav steps before receiving vectors to actually intercept the localiser & glidescope) I think most people including myself would be in a lot of poo.

I do, however, agree with you and subscribe to the notion that if all other options are exhausted, might as well have a crack and hope for the best.. or pack a parachute/flying wing suit thing in your carry on!

 

[alieninperth]

You could use your mobile to call the airline and ask which button to press.

 

[harvyk]

The end statement of the blurb of the Mythbusters episode says:

However, even though the test was a success, the pilot pointed out that most modern planes are so advanced that their autopilot systems can literally land the plane by themselves, negating the need for a civilian pilot.

Yeah I've met many pilots who strongly disagree with that final statement. From what I've heard most pilots think that auto land is more difficult to manage than a visual landing, and it's purpose was not to simply land an airliner, but land them under certain conditions where a visual landing could not be completed safely.

You probably can't do worse by having a go. You were going to die otherwise anyway, right?

Well that is true, however I tend to agree that the worst sort of person to take the yoke would be a desktop pilot. A person with no idea will question everything (assuming they press the right button to talk to ATC), a desktop pilot is likely to assume that the know what they are doing and thus make assumptions because that's how microsoft flight sim does it. "What do you mean there are 3 autopilots? In flight sim there is only one"

 

[mosanator]

Oh dear whilst everyone had been discussing what button is where we seem to have crashed.

mmmm Bugger !!!!!

 

[casanovawa]

I suppose I would put my hand up to try and take one through its paces if the situation called for it...

If the crew without exception always choose the wrong button, ask one to point to what they think and then leave that one well alone...

I personally, if I was a crew member, would want to know the basics of what to do in an emergency on the type of plane I was crewing, but perhaps JB could put up an instructional video on You Tube to help us all out, we can download onto devices and keep with us just in case...

A handbook/getting started guide placed prominently in the coughpit also wouldn't go astray, one of those that cuts through all the cough and lets you get up and flying your A380/B747 etc in a few easy steps...