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Passenger with “no idea how to fly” lands plane after pilot incapacitated

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Re: Passenger with “no idea how to fly” lands plane after pilot incapacitated

#21

Post by sandworm101 »

jolux wrote: post #14
Overtonwindow wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, in most cases, but also modern aircraft over the last 50 years has become very safe. The plane practically flies itself.

Yeah but I thought takeoff and landing were the two parts that still required mostly manual control?

If the weather conditions are favorable, there isn't much needed. This would have been a very stable aircraft on its own. If the controls are setup properly in advance of the runway, it will descend and "land" with little input. In all likelihood they used a long approach, strait-in, to an airfield totally cleared of all other traffic. He would have had a strait shot in from many miles away.

The important decision was to keep him following the coastline. A random aircraft over florida land would be a nightmare to locate and deal with on radar, even if the transponder was functional. Keeping him following the coastline would have made the fix much simpler.

Re: Passenger with “no idea how to fly” lands plane after pilot incapacitated

#22

Post by asdfman123 »

I bet this was a guy raised on video games. I was about to make a joke about it but I'm actually serious.

Once I, a former Houstonian with no experience driving on ice, was driving through the snowy mountains and lost control of my car. Instead of panicking, my video-game-induced laser focus kicked in and I calmly piloted the car until the wheels gained traction and I could park the car on the side of the road.

But learning how to focus in the midst of chaos, instead of panicking, is a technique I specifically had to learn in childhood to beat challenging levels of Super Mario Brothers.

Thanks, video games.

Re: Passenger with “no idea how to fly” lands plane after pilot incapacitated

#23

Post by Sharlin »

jolux wrote: post #14
Overtonwindow wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, in most cases, but also modern aircraft over the last 50 years has become very safe. The plane practically flies itself.

Yeah but I thought takeoff and landing were the two parts that still required mostly manual control?

Not necessarily, but pilots usually fly those manually because a) they’re the exciting parts b) a certain number of manual takeoffs/landings per year are required to stay certified. (EDIT: This was about airliners, a Cessna is definitely 100% manual!)

Re: Passenger with “no idea how to fly” lands plane after pilot incapacitated

#25

Post by HWR_14 »

jolux wrote: post #14
Overtonwindow wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, in most cases, but also modern aircraft over the last 50 years has become very safe. The plane practically flies itself.

Yeah but I thought takeoff and landing were the two parts that still required mostly manual control?

As far as I understand, takeoff and landing requires manual control in the same way, or for the same reason, Tesla autopilot requires hands on the wheel. It's mostly liability and trust issues.

Re: Passenger with “no idea how to fly” lands plane after pilot incapacitated

#26

Post by asdfman123 »

vmception wrote: post #7

bravo! any idea how hard or easy this is? did the passenger land on an airstrip or where? all details lacking

We can probably assume it's a small passenger plane. I'm not a pilot but I've landed them a few times in flight sims.

It's a matter of getting the right level of descent and setting a few knobs and switches correctly. I could probably explain to you how to do it if you were playing a video game.

The real impressive thing is they were able to keep calm and go through the steps, or figure out how to use the radio, without freaking out. Not everyone is capable of that.

Re: Passenger with “no idea how to fly” lands plane after pilot incapacitated

#27

Post by zokier »

NovemberWhiskey wrote: post #18
aero-glide2 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Im not familiar with this plane, but the Airbus a320 has an auto-landing autopilot. I wonder how often that's used though.

A Cessna 208 is definitely not in that category of aircraft; this is a small (<10 pax), single-engined turboprop.

That being said I, with no aviation experience, definitely would feel more comfortable attempting to land a Cessna than an Airbus even if it were more manual operation

Re: Passenger with “no idea how to fly” lands plane after pilot incapacitated

#28

Post by joadha »

Overtonwindow wrote: post #5
orbital-decay wrote: post #4

>air traffic controllers were able to locate the plane on radar and walk the passenger through how to land the small plane Are ATCOs actually trained for this kind of situation?

Yes, in most cases, but also modern aircraft over the last 50 years has become very safe. The plane practically flies itself.

> The plane practically flies itself.

Personally, I would perhaps allow this turn of phrase in reference to take-off and cruising, depending on equipment and assuming VFR, but I'm not sure I would ever say this about LANDING any plane.

Source: I'm an occasional student-pilot.

Re: Passenger with “no idea how to fly” lands plane after pilot incapacitated

#29

Post by qwopqwopqw0p »

asdfman123 wrote: post #22

I bet this was a guy raised on video games. I was about to make a joke about it but I'm actually serious. Once I, a former Houstonian with no experience driving on ice, was driving through the snowy mountains and lost control of my car. Instead of panicking, my video-game-induced laser focus kicked in and I calmly piloted the car until the wheels gained traction and I could park the car on the side of the road. But l…

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