Let's hope the guy doing the "talking down" isn't you! Chas; "Yeah, steady with the controls, one slight improper movement and you're a dead *****." Chas; "Do I hear crying? Any moisture will knock out all of your instruments." New Pilot who chose a career in building tires for Michelin, that just happened to be on this flight and just so happened to be the most qualified guy to take the controls after coronary artery disease takes the life of the pilot and just by chance the co-pilot, who was in the 1 out of 150 people who was susceptible having a heart attack soon after a sudden fit of major stress or anger; "The plane keeps rocking back and forth and I think it's being pushed a little to the left, is that the wind?" Chas; "No that's the hand of God reaching down and landing the plane for you, what the **** did you think it was?! Keep the plane steady and await the final instructions before you most likely crash, killing everyone on board." Chas; "Someone put on the coffee, I'll be here all night filling out paperwork for the fatal crash about to happen, where's my pen?"
Striker, listen, and you listen close: flying a plane is no different than riding a bicycle, just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes. I've got to concentrate...concentrate... concentrate... I've got to concentrate... concentrate... concentrate... Hello?... hello... hello... Echo... echo... echo... Pinch hitting for Pedro Borbon... Manny Mota... Mota... Mota...
Right after achieving my (german) A-Levels, there happend to be a job fair. There were quite a lot of nice people, talking about job and studying options, career choices and such stuff. Then there was it. A flight-simulator for an Airbus. It was not one of those cool moving ones. Instead it was a fixed one, with the rear open to the audience, with a big screen on top, so everyone could see how you die... I was the scond person in the line, only a girl was in front of me. She slammed the plane with an airspeed of about 400 knots with the nose down in a 20 degree angle right into the grass between the runways. And she was screaming. :-D Ok it was my turn then. The Pilot grounded with PR duties asked me about my flying experience. "Nothing on the other side, than Ilushin- 2 Sturmovik..." The Pilot was smiling a "oh-boy-you-are-failing-so-hardly" smile, while he was introducing me with the basic steeing, the rudders, throttle, and the basic instruments. We started mid-air with some basic training, turning and going up and down. All worked fine until here. Then he switched some buttons, and we were in the approach, with the airfield visible in the distance. Ok, then, flaps, out, reduce airspeed, landing gear down and gliding gently down. The instructor looked a little bit boared, because all was just fine. Then he suddenly said, "ok, runway 27L is closed, please land on 27R" He was wearing his grin again. "Ok, you are the boss!" I replied, while smoothly correcting my path. Well, I have to admit, I didn´t land on the marks on the beginning, so he asked me, if I wouldn´t want to do a go-around. "It will fit, it will fit EAAAASYLY" I answered, while going into full reveresd thrust (wich he didn´t show me) and braking quite hard. It did fit easyly, the crowd behind me was applauding, the instructor was shocked in surprise and said "Well done, please go to our tent to the right and join our company!" "No way," I answered, "if flying, I don´t want to fly a Truck, i want to fly a real jet!" And leaving him with some sort of an mission accomplishedgrin on my face. Oh boy, that was fun! Chris (sorry, my written english got a bit rusty...)
The original question was whether someone with only light plane experience could land a 747. I'd guess that anyone with a knowledge of instrument approaches could, with tower help and a copy of the operating manual (required to be on board), manage to program a Cat III C approach. I'm pretty sure the approach system could land it better than a Cessna pilot. You wouldn't be trying to put a 747 into a grass strip airport, anyway. If the pilots are all incapacitated, I wouldn't really care what destination is on the tickets. That bird would be headed to the longest, widest runway in the region -- at an airport equipped with more fire equipment than the entire city of Cleveland. If there weren't any light plane pilots on board, you'd probably be better off with a flight attendant than just some schnook that stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I don't know how things stand in today's PC world, but in the old days, lots of flight attendants had some flying experience. ("Flying lessons" used to be an excuse to get stews out on a date. ) I loved that line. (That film hit theatres about the time I was doing either my instrument or AMEL training.) (Edit: it was the instrument training. I just checked my logbook.) (I'd completely forgotten that I'd penciled in one takeoff and landing in the Celica, after a broken wheel sent me on a short uncontrolled flight. )
I know a guy who is an instrument rated private pilot. he was given the chance to fly a real simulator by someone with an airline and he landed it. I also read an article once with a similar scenario and I think the guy landed it but said he couldn't figure out how to communicate on the radio or something.
Too bad my dad is dead. Pilot on B-17 in WWII. Constellation, & Boing 707 pilot w/ TWA for 30 years. One of the questions I never asked. I was more interested in how a hijack would be dealt with. Seen many takeoffs from the cockpit w/ some in a 747 as my dad showed me around. I was astonished that takeoff speed was only like 180 mph.
It really is an interesting question. Could I really land a 747? Only in my dreams... Happy Landings...Paolo
Not to minimize the tasks or responsibilities involved in running on-schedule passenger air service in a normal environment, ... But I'd think, that for a one-shot, VFR, straight-in, tower assisted emergency landing with a fully functional aircraft, that a 747 would be less of a challenge to land at a major airport than trying to put a Piper Tomahawk into a short field with a crosswind. (But then, there's a lot less wreckage if a T-hawk landing goes awry.) Of course, for some reason, in all the films, when a passenger has to land, it's always at night. In a snowstorm. Uphill. Both ways.
I'd probably bounce an outboard engine off the grass - but I suspect we'd survive. I just hope there's no crosswind. 28R at SFO, my controls (picture taken by my copilot.) Image Unavailable, Please Login
Well, Ben, your con man posing ways continue to catch up with you, we see. . . Your picture on short final to SFO has a couple of problems with it, other than the fact you're well above the glideslope and either you couldn't hold your attitude straight or the camera straight. My guess is you couldn't hold the CAMERA straight since you hold NO AIRMAN'S CERTIFICATES WHATSOEVER. Translation: You ARE NOT A PILOT AND NEVER HAVE BEEN. The FAA Airman's Registry, which is a database of all airmen with FAA issued certificates has ZERO listings for you--not even as a STUDENT PILOT, let alone anything else that would include type ratings. Doesn't matter what variation of your name you type in, you are not in it. Period. You're just another poser. Only thing that flies with you is your bravo-sierra, and even THAT is fast approaching Vso--look that up, pilot-poser boy. Leave the aviation and flying to those us who EARNED the tickets and DO the flying.
I can't speak to the airman search you did, but the two issues in the photo you noted aren't very compelling. First, I believe Bay Approach will allow you to shoot approaches into SFO if it's late at night and there's no traffic; since SFO charges landing fees (the minimum in 2010 was apparently $158), I suspect a low approach to DH would be the norm; so being above the glide slope would be typical. Second, cameras have been held at a cockeyed angle before and it was noted that the co-pilot took the shot; so there's no reason to think that the camera's attitude is the airplane's attitude. Beyond that, I would be curious what your beef with Ben is. If you have a complaint to make and it's legit, best to tell us who you are, make it and not beat around the bush.
That's a lot of anger for a nube... perhaps there is a bit more to the story... Sounds like a rejected suitor...
