What is the likelihood that a GA pilot could.....

It's so simple even a child can do it.

 
I've landed the 757/767 (simulated loaded as a full 757) and 747 sims successfully.

One was as a Private pilot with about 70 hours, the other was somewhere around 400 hours with the instrument rating.

It's totally anecdotal, but at least in the sim in reasonable weather conditions it can be done.

In higher than max allowed crosswind conditions I dragged the number one nacelle in the 747.

In the sim we survived. In the real world, hmmm. Maybe not. Ha. Not quite used to having engines hanging down out there on that big of a wing. Haha. (Hint: Don't bother with the kickout. Just land it in the crab.)

What I couldn't do right without two attempts was an outboard engine cut at 40 knots in the 747. I went in the grass. :) (hint: JUST STOP. You have no rudder authority and then nosewheel steering won't hold it. Just slam the brakes on the throttles back and stop right now.)
 
Cant you just pull the parachute?
What about the inflatable (and a little handsy) AP?
 
I have done it may be thousands of times in a home simulator with sometimes couple of glasses of wine on board. Although we can actually land the jetliner the problem would be setting up the approaches ,heading indicators radios etc. Not too many of us are familiar with buttonolgy in the big planes but hopefully there will be someone talking to us and help set up the thing if we end up in real situation.
 
Cooter said:
I had a friend who was a dentist in the Navy and he wanted to go fly the sims. I got him into the F-14D sim and he immediately wanted to set it up behind the boat and try for a trap. I encouraged him to fly around and go land at the field because if he crashed they would have to reset the sim, but he insisted. He flew it straight into a 3-wire with little difficulty. I was a little peeved since I had built it up as being almost impossible. I guess he was a video gamer and he just treated it like a big video game. I'm not sure if he could do it again, but he had some bragging rights after that one.
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I think I only did three tries at the boat. None successful. I was more interested in doing my own air show over Miramar and then attacking North Island. Started getting nauseous at the end with that big dome spinning all over the place.

I've taken complete non pilots in the UH-60 sim and they actually did the basics quite well. The sim is harder than the real thing also. Of course, I never tell them that the act of flying is quite easy. It's all the other crap that you do with the aircraft that's difficult.
 
blueskyMD said:
You mean on the simulators?
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Nah lots of airline pilots are also GA pilots. As are the people who fly jets under part 135 or part 91, including owner operators...


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Cpt_Kirk said:
No, he means that there are airline pilots who are also GA pilots and therefore meet the criteria of OP's question.
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Yeah but they are primarily airline pilots who happens to fly GA which most of them do. But I think OP posted if primarily GA pilot can land an airline.
 
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Velocity173 said:
If you know the speeds and where to deploy the flaps and gear, I'd say success would be pretty good.

I've flown the H-53 and F-18 sims as a GA pilot and could land them with some basic coaching. The IP running the F-18 sim could actually tell I had flight experience and let me fly a second period, including a carrier attempt...which didn't end well.
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This guy is all I know about the numbers
 
gsengle said:
Nah lots of airline pilots are also GA pilots. As are the people who fly jets under part 135 or part 91, including owner operators...


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Cpt_Kirk said:
No, he means that there are airline pilots who are also GA pilots and therefore meet the criteria of OP's question.
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Yep.
 
At age 14, with about 3 hours logged in a Cherokee 140, I managed to successfully take off, fly, and land, a Jetstar, at FSI. (sim)
Family friend, and instructor, was standing behind me, between the seats. Had a blast, and have the time logged as dual instruction. :D
 
I landed a United 747 sim in Denver when I was 12. My dad was a 747 FO and in the right seat.
 
I landed a C5A simulator when I was in the AF and a private pilot at the time. It was pretty bouncy but I think we would have survived.
 
coloradobluesky said:
"Help, help!" squeals the stewardess. "Both pilots are unconcious. Does anyone know how to fly an airplane?"
"Why, yes ma'am. I have 450 hours in a Supercub" says I.
"Oh, please come up and save us" the stewardess pleads.

And that is how our story begins...
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Our story ends shortly after when the cub pilot temporarily forgets what he's flying and attempts to 3 point at 50 knots:confused::confused::eek::eek:;);)

Now truly, you know you guys would handle this situation totally different.

My POA response:
"Albuquerque Center, I fly a Tiger ... enough said.":cool:

My real life response:
ME: "Center, we're going to fly around awhile to burn some fuel off. Request block altitude 1,000 to 40,000 for maneuvering."
ATC: Why that large a block?
ME: "Planning high speed turns around a point, S turns, stalls, steep turns and a few aileron rolls to get used to this thing":rolleyes: " Also, since I'm close to home I plan on laying the mother of all buzz jobs on my neighbor and tell tower we're requesting a fly-by":D:D:D
 
danhagan said:
My real life response:
ME: "Center, we're going to fly around awhile to burn some fuel off. Request block altitude 1,000 to 40,000 for maneuvering."
ATC: Why that large a block?
ME: "Planning high speed turns around a point, S turns, stalls, steep turns and a few aileron rolls to get used to this thing":rolleyes: " Also, since I'm close to home I plan on laying the mother of all buzz jobs on my neighbor and tell tower we're requesting a fly-by":D:D:D
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Thanks, crystal light out the nose onto the shirt....
 
@cowman That King Air video was freaking awesome! Thanks for sharing.

ATC: 9DW is the autopilot engaged?
9DW: Me and the good Lord are hand flying this thang.

He did a heck of a job. You could hear him being overcome with emotion at the end. 5 souls aboard. What an intense event to endure. He freakin' nailed it, then asked where to park!
 
OkieFlyer said:
@cowman That King Air video was freaking awesome! Thanks for sharing.

ATC: 9DW is the autopilot engaged?
9DW: Me and the good Lord are hand flying this thang.

He did a heck of a job. You could hear him being overcome with emotion at the end. 5 souls aboard. What an intense event to endure. He freakin' nailed it, then asked where to park!
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Doug White went on to earn Commercial and Instrument and had about 150 hours in his King Air as of 2010.

http://christinenegroni.blogspot.com/2010/04/reluctant-pilot-remembers-personal.html?m=1
 
Ventucky Red said:
safely land a 737 or similar aircraft in an emergency... This came up in a conversation over the weekend, that is should something happen would I be able to strap into to the left seat and be talked down to the runway while controlling a piece of big iron...

Thoughts?
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Look for the button on the CRS that says "AUTOLAND"
 
Well the euro folks have been using 250hr wonders as FOs for a while, only crashed a few, so I'd say good chance
 
Sim instructors report a high success rate for GA pilots landing large passenger jets. That rate gets even higher after just a couple hours of instruction.
 
Sims can be deceiving. There exists a crash override setting that allows some pretty egregious errors to get by. I once knife-edged my way between skyscrapers in downtown Hong Kong in a 777 - but it was only possible with crash override.

Keep in mind too which flavor of 737 we're talking about as well. The -800 & -900 have about the highest approach speeds of ANY Boeing airplane. Even though the visual scenery is quite good in a sim a 157kt approach speed can look quite sporty in real life.
 
There's nothing magical about airliners from a stick and rudder standpoint. I can take a non-pilot and have them landing a Mooney, Cirrus, or whatever else in not much time at all. Same with a 737. I'm not sure why this is such a surprise to people.
 
The problem with these tests in a simulator is that the "pilot" helping you "on the radio" is really a sim instructor sitting behind you who can see everything you do and what the instruments are reading--a benefit a real pilot on the radio will not have. He will have to give you instructions blind.

FlyingElvii said:
Look for the button on the CRS that says "AUTOLAND"
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What is a CRS?

There is no "AUTOLAND" button.
 
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