I just had to know - can I fly a Boeing 737?

Martin Pauly

Martin Pauly

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Martin Pauly
On a trip to Germany earlier this month, I had a really long layover in Atlanta. I used the time to visit the Delta Flight Museum, which is located on the Delta Airlines campus on the north side of the airport.

The museum isn’t too large, but contains a number of really neat exhibits – both inside and outside, including the famous “Spirit of Delta” (a 767 which the employees bought for the airline) and a 747-400 as well.

The highlight for me was flying their full-motion simulator. When Delta retired the 737-200, they moved the sim from their training center across the street into the museum, and for $425 you can fly this simulator for an hour – with an instructor.

That is what I did a couple of weeks ago. My jet experience was pretty much non-existent, not counting a couple of sim sessions for B777 and A220 which were without motion. The 737-200 has an old cockpit, of course – so it’s “compatible” with the six pack in my Bonanza. The sensation of the motion was pretty neat, though even just a 180-degrees visual system already provides a pretty good feeling of moving around. The controls were surprisingly light; I was expecting to have to work a lot harder to move the control surfaces.

How did I do? Well, see for yourselves in this video.

- Martin

 
Great video. I can't say much for how you did, but looked like a ton of fun! I need to check the museum out now that I live 20 minutes from it.
 
Really enjoyed the DCA river approach. Flown it many times as passenger and lived/worked near it for over 30 years. There's a park at the end of the runway where you can go and watch aircraft come over your heads on that approach.
 
Martin Pauly said:
On a trip to Germany earlier this month, I had a really long layover in Atlanta. I used the time to visit the Delta Flight Museum, which is located on the Delta Airlines campus on the north side of the airport.

The museum isn’t too large, but contains a number of really neat exhibits – both inside and outside, including the famous “Spirit of Delta” (a 767 which the employees bought for the airline) and a 747-400 as well.

The highlight for me was flying their full-motion simulator. When Delta retired the 737-200, they moved the sim from their training center across the street into the museum, and for $425 you can fly this simulator for an hour – with an instructor.

That is what I did a couple of weeks ago. My jet experience was pretty much non-existent, not counting a couple of sim sessions for B777 and A220 which were without motion. The 737-200 has an old cockpit, of course – so it’s “compatible” with the six pack in my Bonanza. The sensation of the motion was pretty neat, though even just a 180-degrees visual system already provides a pretty good feeling of moving around. The controls were surprisingly light; I was expecting to have to work a lot harder to move the control surfaces.

How did I do? Well, see for yourselves in this video.

- Martin

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Back in the day, I had a student who worked in Boeing's simulator program he invited me and a student to show up at oh-dark-thirty and do some sim flying, I flew the 747 for sure, and maybe the 737,,.it's been a long time.

Bob
 
That's cool! My son and got to fly the 777 sim with a friend that was an instructor for Delta, it was a lot of fun!! My punk ass 16 year old, just soloed son, out flew me, despite my 3500 hours with 700 in a Citation!! :eek::D:D:D
 
eman1200 said:
so...……….if you were on a heavy commercial flight and the pilots both had the fish and you were asked to land the plane, do you think you could do it with someone talking you through it?
Click to expand...

And without blowing Otto
 
eman1200 said:
so...……….if you were on a heavy commercial flight and the pilots both had the fish and you were asked to land the plane, do you think you could do it with someone talking you through it?
Click to expand...
I don't think I would risk hand-flying it. I'd have them walk me through the setup for an autoland.

- Martin
 
ATOP has a pretty similar deal where you can actually log the approaches and if scheduling and time permits (along with an extra $125) you can get the high altitude endorsement.


http://www.atopjets.com




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Nice video @Martin Pauly ! Looks like fun. For me, it doesn't look like $425 worth of fun, but maybe if it was $125.
 
Nice job! That looks like you had a blast!

eman1200 said:
so...……….if you were on a heavy commercial flight and the pilots both had the fish and you were asked to land the plane, do you think you could do it with someone talking you through it?
Click to expand...

Martin Pauly said:
I don't think I would risk hand-flying it. I'd have them walk me through the setup for an autoland.
Click to expand...

This is what I always wondered when the topic of "could I fly an airliner" if the dream scenario of the FA getting on the PA asking "is there a pilot on board?"

I've seen this debate over the years with varying answers, and watched the YouTube videos of Private Pilots and non-pilots alike taking a crack at "saving the day." But in every one of these, there is always the sim operator pretending to be the Air Traffic Controller who seems to have eyes in your airplane and is typed in the jet.

"Delta 55, Atlanta Center... reach up and turn that knob that says "heading" to 150 degrees ... no not that one, the one to the left of it."

I'd love to set up a scenario where it's a United 777 that departed LA for Shanghai, and an hour from landing, all the pilots are incapacitated. The GA pilot comes up to the cockpit at cruise with the autopilot on and ... that's it. No instruction. Nothing. You're talking to Chinese controllers who know nothing about the 777. ZSPD is OVC007 5000 HZ.

Get us down...

I'm always curious to see how that would go.
 
Sluggo63 said:
I'd love to set up a scenario where it's a United 777 that departed LA for Shanghai, and an hour from landing, all the pilots are incapacitated. The GA pilot comes up to the cockpit at cruise with the autopilot on and ... that's it. No instruction. Nothing. You're talking to Chinese controllers who know nothing about the 777. ZSPD is OVC007 5000 HZ.

Get us down...
Click to expand...

I am sure I can get the plane down. Just what is your definition of down.?? :lol::lol:
 
Zeldman said:
I am sure I can get the plane down. Just what is your definition of down.??
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While watching Martin's video, I was thinking... If I was on a flight with both pilots incapacitated, and no one was stepping up to take over, I might take a vote with the passengers. I might tell them, "We are all going to die today. Do you want to die with me at the controls, or no one at the controls? Your choice."
 
Not to get into the legalities but can you log that time? I have no experience in simulators, just curious.
 
Nice Martin...just watched it this AM.

I know where I'm planning to go if i ever get to Atlanta again! I didn't know about that museum.

I was lucky enough when I lived up theirs years ago, my neighbor was working as an instructor pilot for delta at the time. He got me into the B777 sim in the wee hours one night. What I remember was that almost everything was done through the FMS keyboard. With him walking me through everything it wasn't bad. We did a lot of visual landings and hand flying...and he said that I did better than a lot of the rated guys in for currency. The international guys do so few landings in a month and what they do fly they are using the systems. I was doing a whole lot of flying just then working on a commercial rating so I was fairly sharp...but I harbored no realistic illusions that I could land that thing without him talking me through the buttons...once set up though..yoke and rudder...not so bad...
Since I've done it, I'm not sure if I'd do the sim again, but regardless that museum looks great!

The most striking thing in your vid to me was the little double tap flare thing. Remembering back i seem to remember seeing and feeling airliners do a little bobble like that. I guess it might have been on purpose....

Weekend Warrior said:
For me, it doesn't look like $425 worth of fun
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I just paid $190 for 1 hour dual in a ragged out dripping cessna 172F last weekend. If you ask me it's a deal!
 
lancie00 said:
Not to get into the legalities but can you log that time? I have no experience in simulators, just curious.
Click to expand...
Yes. It’s not total time or multi engine time though. Most logbooks have a flight simulator column and you can log it there.
 
Sluggo63 said:
I'd love to set up a scenario where it's a United 777 that departed LA for Shanghai, and an hour from landing, all the pilots are incapacitated. The GA pilot comes up to the cockpit at cruise with the autopilot on and ... that's it. No instruction. Nothing. You're talking to Chinese controllers who know nothing about the 777. ZSPD is OVC007 5000 HZ.

Get us down...

I'm always curious to see how that would go.
Click to expand...

Well, they probably have the (an) approach loaded up by then, so....

Close up the discontinuities, scroll the altitude window to 100', keep the speed window closed, configure as the plane slows and hope for the best... :D

Good thing at least right now is there probably aren't a lot of lives at risk. I bet those flights are empty... :eek:
 
I have absolutely zero doubt that anyone here can’t do it with an hour of sim practice. It’s not rocket science, just a bit off practice.

That said, can you do it on the first shot without verbal instruction..???

Possibly yes, but with possible damage would be my off-the-cuff guess.
 
Im reminded of the gentleman who landed the king air in Florida after his pilot died... he spent 10 minutes trying to turn off the autopilot and had to be instructed by someone on the ground. A lot of these systems aren't obvious. I was playing msfs today and learned that I know exactly nothing about turbine engines.
 
Brad W said:
What I remember was that almost everything was done through the FMS keyboard.
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Yes, and maybe there is an advantage of doing this in an "ancient" sim like the 737 which doesn't have an FMS - more flying, less programming.

- Martin
 
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