The question (real pilots need not bother)

[sluggish]

If the flight attendant asked the question that every flight sim geek fantasizes about ("IS THERE ANYONE HERE WHO CAN LAND A PLANE??!!?!!), could your years of dedicated flight simming help you cut the mustard?

http://www.flightsim.com/main/feature/question.htm

[Cobra516]

Heh, good read.

Anyone that can consistently fly, fly the approach and land well Microsoft Flight Sim will have no problem flying/landing the real thing.  Granted I had a lot of time flying with my dad in his Super Cub.  But I really believe that anyone that flys well in MS Flight Sim could do it.

I took the 737-200 Level D sim around the pattern at Hartsfield when I was 14, it flew exactly as MS Flight Sim, which I had been flying frequently.  Greased it on the numbers a few times, flew one ILS to near minimums as well.  I had basically memorized the approach from the plates I was using for MS Flight Sim, so I knew the freqs, cross-radials, fixes, headings, altitudes, etc.  I had to work the spoilers to get down on one approach though, - I don't think that's standard procedure in the final approach phase - but it worked out nicely. 

On one of the climb-outs he told me to go ahead and roll it - I told him I thought we were too low & slow to get it around without stalling it on the bottom half, so I continued to climb to about 3,500, pitched up to ~45 and threw in the aileron/rudder and around it went.  On the backside we were pointed about 50* nose down with a ~60* right bank - I was pulling it a bit to get it on around and get the nose up and the stick shaker went off, I dumped the nose a bit and coaxed it on out of the dive completing the roll.  They were impressed. 

[DJ111]

If they recover the black box from my 'landing', the last message would say 'You have ditched'

[JunkyII]

I got the balls to do it

[hubsonfire]

If they're ever desperate enough to ask, I'd be desperate enough to try.

[Anaxogoras]

 

Do you know how much confidence the general public would have in you when you say "I think I can land!  I've got 1,000 landings under my belt in microsoft flight simulator!"  Talk about pathetic, geeky, middle-aged wish fulfillment.

That said, people who have experience with both simulators and the real thing are sometimes more open minded.  A friend let me land his 152 with only auditory help; it's not so difficult.  Now, landing a big passenger jet at 3x that speed is a whole 'nother ball of wax.

[WWhiskey]

yea i think if they come back and ask i would definitely raise my hand!!!
after all we are already sc@@$#ed
 but then again i been flying for o 30 years already, just nothing that big,
 Cherokees,aircoop's,  steermans, sitabra's,once in a t-38(thrill of a lifetime) stuff like that.
 none of which i think could prepare you for a big passenger jet,, more than knowing what you were doing if you flew microsoft flight sim, and landed some of those aircraft more than a few times.
in a small plane you still get the feel of the aircraft that cannot be simulated, in that size jet i doubt that the feel of it would have as much effect as the fact that you knew what you were supposed to do, then again the tower ,and air control guys say the pilot is just an after thought, bet those people that went down in the hudson might see it a bit different!!

[Dago]

Anyone that can consistently fly, fly the approach and land well Microsoft Flight Sim will have no problem flying/landing the real thing. 

I have only one response to your response.

 

[DREDIOCK]

If they're ever desperate enough to ask, I'd be desperate enough to try.

LMAO Damn straight!

[DREDIOCK]

Do you know how much confidence the general public would have in you when you say "I think I can land!  I've got 1,000 landings under my belt in microsoft flight simulator!"  Talk about pathetic, geeky, middle-aged wish fulfillment.

Yea but I bet if given the choices of nobody being at the controls to land the plane. And some flight sim geek.
They would be more then enthusiastic in convincing the sim geek t give it a try.

[Serenity]

That said, people who have experience with both simulators and the real thing are sometimes more open minded.  A friend let me land his 152 with only auditory help; it's not so difficult.  Now, landing a big passenger jet at 3x that speed is a whole 'nother ball of wax.

I don't know, with my real life experience, Sims IMHO are MUCH harder. I get at least 25% of my input IRL from the way the aircraft feels (Assuming im in a situation where vertigo or disorientation aren't likely to act on me) so without it on the computer, I feel lost, lol. Yeah, I would trust someone with the Sim experience to give it a go, seeing as we're probably gonna die anyway.

[Anaxogoras]

Better yet:

Two guys raise their hands.  As the plane plummets earthward, they begin to argue over who is the more qualified sim pilot by debating the finer points of flight models.

[fudgums]

Better yet:

Two guys raise their hands.  As the plane plummets earthward, they begin to argue over who is the more qualified sim pilot by debating the finer points of flight models.

I have a K/D ratio of 5-1

[Cobra516]

I have only one response to your response.

 

But - did you read my post?  I did it, several times - and I had 0 prior 737-200 time at 14 years old.     

I also got a chance to fly the F/A-18A sim at Dobbins NAS when VFA-203 was still around.  I trapped on the carrier on the first approach, granted it was smooth seas and calm wind, but it illustrates how well flight sims can help one get a feel for an aircraft.  It flew just like a video game, I had been flying Janes F-18 prior to that.  Shot a night approach as well, just flew the needles and AOA.

For some reason people seem to think that landing an airplane is some magical feat - it isn't.  They also think that the bigger the airplane - the harder it is to land - not true, it is much harder to get a nice landing out of the Super Cub on a breezy day than it is to land a 737.



 

[Sox62]

I'm pretty sure I'd be able to ground loop a jet just as good as I could a cartoon plane.