Has anybody else ever dreamed of this.

[manurin]

Here are 5 exemples where passengers actualy took control.

http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2009/04/14/passenger-who-landed-plane-five-instances-where-pax-took-the-contols/

Also on an other forum, an interesting discution between real pilots and flight simmers on would it be possible for a flight simmer to land a commercial plane, odds are close to impossible:

http://www.pprune.org/questions/63654-could-happen-non-pilot-landing-heavy-jet.html

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Here are 5 exemples where passengers actualy took control.

http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2009/04/14/passenger-who-landed-plane-five-instances-where-pax-took-the-contols/

Also on an other forum, an interesting discution between real pilots and flight simmers on would it be possible for a flight simmer to land a commercial plane, odds are close to impossible:

http://www.pprune.org/questions/63654-could-happen-non-pilot-landing-heavy-jet.html

There have been cases where flight simmers have sat in a real simulator and landed perfectly on first try. Note that those simmers were playing FSX and the likes, an average AH pilot probably would have more trouble, G for gear and Q for flaps would be missing.

[jimson]

A more likely possibility would be a light AC like a Cessna, if your pilot suddenly collapsed and you had dual flight controls. I'd put my chances at landing something like that higher than I would someone who doesn't play flight sims.

[cpxxx]

This comes up for discussion regularly and often turns into a lively debate. The last time I flew in an airliner, a 737-800. I pondered the idea of how I would cope if the flight deck door opened and the Captain stumbled out gasping and collapsed unconscious with the FO already unconscious in his seat. In the end I concluded that I would cope quite well initially but it might well end badly when I attempted to land. Coincidentally not so long ago I had an hour in a 'real' sim, actually more of a procedures trainer. But configured as a 737 NG. I got a bit lost once, overstressed the airframe once, overran the runway twice and crashed into the River Thames while trying to fly under a bridge while landing in London City Airport. I should add at this point that I'm a Commercial pilot and fly skydivers for a living. So if I have trouble, imagine the problems someone who never actually flew a real aircraft would have.

By the end of the session I was demonstrating to the bemused 'Instructor' how to make a skydive plane descent and landing in a 737 into London City Airport. It went great until I put a wheel off the runway

All great fun, but imagine this scenario. It's night, you're on a trans ocean flight, the weather is bad and you can see flashes of lightning out there. The pilots pass out cold and you find yourself sitting there with your heart in your mouth. The autopilot is on. What do you do?

It's all very fine if you found yourself in that situation on a fine sunny day somewhere close to a large airport with plenty of time to spend getting briefed by a conveniently available experienced pilot. Add any complicating factors and it becomes a lottery. If you look at the Air France AF447 accident you can see that an experienced crew with three pilots on the flight deck let their aircraft fall into the sea because they were confused over what they were seeing. Almost any pilot will tell you that there are times when in cloud or at night when the eyes disagree with the ears and you have instant vertigo. Only your training prevents you from ripping the wings off.

There's also another factor, remember the Helios 737 accident. Both crew were unconscious but the Flight attendant who actually had a Commercial licence only got access to the flight deck after the engines failed, thanks to the locked door rules. It was far too late.

You'd better hope it never happens to you.

[mipoikel]

There have been cases where flight simmers have sat in a real simulator and landed perfectly on first try. Note that those simmers were playing FSX and the likes, an average AH pilot probably would have more trouble, G for gear and Q for flaps would be missing.

I tried landing in Finnair DC-9 simulator and crashed it. 

[Tac]

"November 1986 — A legally blind passenger takes the controls of a light plane after the 80-year-old pilot suffers a fatal heart attack, landing at Cable Airport in Upland, Calif., 40 miles east of Los Angeles. Charles Law, who was almost 70 years old the time, owned and flew an identical plane before he lost much of his sight. Law told the Associated Press that he was legally blind with 20-200 vision in his left eye and 20-400 in his right. Law said he wasn’t frightened and turned his head to use his peripheral vision to get the plane down. “We bounced a little hard and it was a little squirrely, and I guess I was a little crooked. But I thought it was a very good landing,” he told the AP"

Holy crap 

[titanic3]

However, the whole entire case has a 0.00000001% chance of ever happening.

1. BOTH pilot and co-pilot passing out is very unlikely.
2. Auto pilot means you basically listen to the controller, turn a few knobs, and let the plane land itself until the very last stretch, then it's a matter of pointing the plane in the right direction, and hitting the brakes. You're still a hero, but a hero who can listen to instructions, not a hero who took the stick and landed using his skill. 

[F22RaptorDude]

I'd like a shot at the NASA simulator just to see how I would do

[Meatwad]

I usually dream of a harem.........

[Krupinski]

Unless the plane was a A-10C or a Black Shark, I don't think any of us "sim-pilots" can land a plane without help from a controller or another pilot. It would take me 30 minutes just to figure out where the landing gear switch is.

(Image removed from quote.)

Yea, good luck.

Maybe a belly land will do it.  

E Z Mode.

BTW, I know where every control/instrument is located and what they do in the 109K4/G14  /Chest Thump Off

[titanic3]

E Z Mode.

BTW, I know where every control/instrument is located and what they do in the 109K4/G14  /Chest Thump Off

Hehe, I'll be sure to bring you along the next time I fly a 109G14/K4
Might be a bit cramp though.

[MachFly]

I'd like a shot at the NASA simulator just to see how I would do

Why NASA?

[MachFly]

However, the whole entire case has a 0.00000001% chance of ever happening.

1. BOTH pilot and co-pilot passing out is very unlikely.
2. Auto pilot means you basically listen to the controller, turn a few knobs, and let the plane land itself until the very last stretch, then it's a matter of pointing the plane in the right direction, and hitting the brakes. You're still a hero, but a hero who can listen to instructions, not a hero who took the stick and landed using his skill.  

Without autoland you need to touch down at the beginning of the runway. If you end up touching down long or touching down too fast you can run out of runway and damage/destroy the plane and property. So yes the autopilot will make it significantly easier for you to do it but without autoland some skill will still be required.

Since were discussing such a small possibility there is the same chance the autopilot will not work either...

[F22RaptorDude]

Why NASA?

They have that full motion simulator they did on mythbusters

[Zeagle]

Flying a jet liner would not be hard. But having not ever done it, the chances of landing 50ft too high or rounding out too late or getting into a high sink rate on final would be high.    I know of a cessna 150 pilot who landed the commercial 737 sim fine though.
Let's hope that never happens.