I'd rather be up front trying to land it and live than sitting in the back just waiting to die.
Nearly 50% of men who have never flown or landed an airplane think they could safely land a passenger airplane
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That is true. Our simulators are sufficiently realistic, that we give type ratings in the simulator. In fact, that’s part of my job - type rating certification.
The other part of my job - check pilot - is taking those freshly minted pilots, Captains and FO, out for their first flight, which is done in revenue service. When the check pilot is happy with their performance, they are signed off and fly regular schedules with regular pilots.
So, my career path - in brief, left active duty flying the F-14, came to the airline. Two weeks of airline ground school (new hire training). Six week training/simulator syllabus in the 747-400. Some long days in there.
First flight: LAX-NRT with a Check Pilot named Bob. When we turned onto runway 25R, Bob said, “brakes released, your airplane”. Moments later, we took off for Narita. Completely full. 418 passengers on board. About 16 flight attendants.
Darn if that big airplane didn’t fly just like the simulator!
I’ve talked a lot about flying airliners in a thread that’s pretty old now. If anyone is interested, I don’t get into precise details, but I’m happy to answer specific questions. Our flight manual is over 2,600 pages - so, a comprehensive, nose to tail description of the airplane isn’t practical. But aspects of the airplane, its operation, environment, and lifestyle are all welcome topics.
What it's like to fly an airliner.
Hey BITOG, the United threads keep getting shut down, but in those threads, questions have come up about what's it like to fly an airliner, or how airplanes work. As many of you know, I'm a pilot for United. Over the past 20 years with United, I've flown the 747, 757/767 and A-320. I was an...
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I think most of us feel that way. Certainly I feel that way.
However, it’s the probability of success that’s subject to scrutiny here.
As a purely practical, professional courtesy, I always identify myself to the Captain and crew whenever I have a seat in the back. Always.
Last night, coming back from Denver to Norfolk, it turned out that the Captain on that flight was an F-14 guy I knew from “back in the day”. Small world. Anyways…
A close study of United 231 (the airplane that couldn’t be flown) showed how important Denny Fitch was to the success of Captain Al Haynes. Denny, an instructor and check pilot on DC-10, was riding in the back and had said hi on his way to his seat. When the engine blew and all three hydraulic systems failed, Al Haynes called Denny up front. He was instrumental in regaining engine control and using differential thrust to manage flight path.
So, while I appreciate that you would want to try, let us both hope that I’m riding in the back, and the FA chooses to wake me up from my nap…
Three of my lifetime long friends who I first met in 1959 while we were in first grade (and we've remained friends ever since!!!) were all commercial airline Captains. One retired from American, one from United, and one from UPS. I was most envious of my UPS friend. He flew transoceanic 747-400s for UPS, but was also certified on their 757s and 767s. He hated their original call sign of "Brown Tail".
Scott
I think this just happened!
Off-duty pilot on Southwest flight steps in to help after pilot suffers in-flight medical emergency | CNN
An off-duty pilot who was a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight stepped in to help the flight crew after one of the on-duty pilots had a medical emergency mid-flight.
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OVERKILL
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To me, that would also include private jets of various sizes, which are also, at least in my mind "passenger planes".
I have VERY limited flight experience. I've flown (but not landed, though I've watched it land many times and what was done) a Cirrus single engine prop plane and been in the co-pilot seat for many hours in a Citation Mustang small twin-engined jet, which I've also flown, but not landed (with our pilot in the other seat of course). Both of these are pretty simple planes to fly, both had glass cockpits and the Cirrus has a "joystick" sort of arrangement.
With these planes there are "prompts" about things like speed based on altitude and angle of approach that guide you. I'm not sure if that's the case for large commercial craft or not because I've never been in the cockpit of one but I think that's something to keep in mind when we are having these discussions that there are various levels of automation and prompting depending on the type of plane and its cockpit configuration.
It has happened several times in the industry. It’s part of why I consider it a professional courtesy to stop by the Flight Deck on my way to my seat. You never know if the next pilot incapacitation event will be on that flight.I think this just happened!
Off-duty pilot on Southwest flight steps in to help after pilot suffers in-flight medical emergency | CNN
An off-duty pilot who was a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight stepped in to help the flight crew after one of the on-duty pilots had a medical emergency mid-flight.
Well, it works in the movies. The question is not whether I could land the plane, it is whether I could walk away afterwards.
Being close to the air Capital here in Kansas I'd like to retire sometime and then pay for lessons to fly one of the really small planes like the old Cessna 182s. I think it's a really neat art and the money that goes into it I think it's well worth the reward. I just watched the movie Sully last night and I didn't even know it was based on a true story. The night before we watched the movie where Denzel Washington is a pilot and that was hilarious. And then last week we watched another movie with Clint Eastwood in it where he was a Russian speaking pilot landing a stolen airplane on the Arctic ice.
I think mythbusters showed that this was plausible a few years ago. I think Adam and Jaime tried on their own with no success. ATC stepped in with instructions and they were both able to land a passenger aircraft.
Define “passenger”.
Further, and I think this point keeps getting overlooked, they had ATC help, but in the real world, that requires both the ability to operate the radio management panel and an available pilot.
And neither are very plausible.
Finally- what kind of airplane?
Because being able to land a small, simple airplane does not translate very well to a large, complex, or fast airplane.
How/why did a new hire get assigned to the 747 and not a more "entry" level airplane like the 737?
I assume you fly in uniform. Are the flight deck doors usually open before taxi or do you have to be let in?
wemay
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Actually, most of the time that I fly, I’m dressed casually. But with my ID, the flight attendants are more than happy to let me up.
The flight deck door is typically open until just moments before pushback.
But, I do make it a point to board fairly early, so that I can swing by the Flight Deck, say hi, and not interfere with those last few minutes when I know the pilots are getting very busy.
It’s usually the lead flight attendant who is greeting and standing by the cockpit door. So on my way up, or on my way back, I will always let them know where my seat is and “let me know if you need anything“.
There is a security, and safety aspect to that. There have been several occasions in my career when the flight attendant has come and found me, because they need my help.
Whether it’s a matter of passenger conduct, or aircraft issue, I am a resource. It has most often been a passenger conduct issue, where they need some help, or they need to be able to separate a couple of people on a completely full flight, and they know I will understand the situation and be willing to swap seats.
Just as Denny Fitch was a resource to the crew on United 231, a pilot, whether in uniform, or not, is a resource to the crew for a variety of situations, beyond the obvious incapacitated pilot.
Well something like 65%-70% of Americans think they are smarter than average, so there is that. Then there are studies that have shown that people with lower intelligence have a much higher overconfidence of their actual abilities or knowledge, even if they have no experience on a subject or a task. The opposite is usually true for people with high intelligence. Their confidence is pretty high in areas they are experts in, but once they step out of these, their confidence drops.
So that 50% of men that said they could land a jet liner safely, their intelligence is most likely nowhere near where they think it is.
So that 50% of men that said they could land a jet liner safely, their intelligence is most likely nowhere near where they think it is.
Yeah, I know. I started at the absolute top
1997 was a very similar time to the present day, we were taking deliveries of new airplanes, almost every week, and we had absolute maximum hiring going on.
We had a great need for instructors. I had two instructor tours in the F-14, so somewhere on my job application, I had to check the box marked “instructor“.
After I had been hired, but before my class date was to start, I received a letter in the mail (remember when we used to communicate using pieces of paper?) asking if I was interested in interviewing to be an instructor.
I called a buddy of mine who had been hired two years earlier and was doing the same job out there in Denver on the 737.
I considered the pros and cons, and was excited by the possibility. I interviewed, and was hired as an instructor.
When I started new hire class, I was a line pilot like everyone else, but I knew that upon completion of new hire training, I would be assigned an airplane.
So, my initial assignment on paper, was DC 10 flight engineer. My paycheck was predicated on that position, and I’ve mentioned my paycheck before, it wasn’t much.
But the aircraft on which I was flying and teaching was the 747-400.
Anecdotally, a few years later, I had heard that none of the Fleet Captains wanted a new hire navy fighter guy on their fleet, except for one, a guy named Bill Dias, who had been an Air Force fighter pilot.
So, I guess I was a bit of a hot potato, getting passed around from Fleet to Fleet during staff meetings, but Bill was willing to take a chance on me. “I can teach a fighter guy to fly anything” he was reported to have said.
And so I went to the 747–400.
That airplane was, and always will be, the queen of the skies. I was extraordinarily fortunate to get a chance to fly it.
Just got that in the rumor mill, too. And an off duty pilot in the back was called up front.I think this just happened!
Off-duty pilot on Southwest flight steps in to help after pilot suffers in-flight medical emergency | CNN
An off-duty pilot who was a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight stepped in to help the flight crew after one of the on-duty pilots had a medical emergency mid-flight.
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