re: Could you land a commercial airplane in an emergency?

I’d like to think that I’m bright enough to follow directions so that they could talk me down safely.

I hope I never have occasion to test that.

No chance.

Everyone thinks that since modern airliners are more automated, they are easier to fly. That’s not exactly the case. Many young and inexperienced airline pilots rely on automation too much and their actual flying skills suffer. I’ve flown with low time first officers that struggle with visual approaches because they’re so used to automation and use it almost exclusively. I’m guilty of it myself but I’ve got enough flight time and experience that it’s no big deal to me.

Anyone that doesn’t have at least a private pilots license wouldn’t have a chance of safely landing an airliner. And even those pilots would have a slim chance.

A scenario where the airplane had plenty of fuel, good weather, and an experienced captain or sim instructor (on that particular aircraft) giving instructions to a very calm and competent person, it’s possible. Most ATC controllers don’t know shite about flying an airplane. They can give you headings and altitudes, but they can’t tell you how to fly.

I’ve got a couple thousand hours on the aircraft I fly, and I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to try to talk someone who doesn’t know shite about aircraft how to program the FMS, use the autopilot and auto throttles, and all of the other things to do prior to landing.

With the autopilot on and properly programmed, it’s possible. Hand flying, not so much. Some aircraft have auto-land capabilities but many don’t. With no auto-land, you’d have to disconnect the autopilot right before touchdown, otherwise it would be a very hard landing, but that would probably be the safer bet than trying to flare. Some planes have autobrakes, some don’t.

The biggest issue with landing any plane is managing the speed. Autopilot doesn’t (in 99.9% of planes) manage speed. Autopilot can get you to the airport, but if you don’t grab those throttles and manage the power in a descent from 40kft, you will blow right past the runway if it doesn’t come apart from over speeding on the way down.

Yes and I would draw some art while doing it just like thos guy did


Lufthansa pilot draws penis in the sky after flight was forced to divert - NY Post 4:32 AM · Aug 3, 2023

Maybe

Could have gotten my private license when my dad owned a few different small planes. Put a ton of hours in with him and learned to fly the plane completely including landing on my own. Just didn’t feel like pursuing my license because I didn’t enjoy flying like him. Only experience with anything big is in a sim though. In an emergency, the thing would get down, not sure how intact though lol. I’m kinda sure it would be on the runway when it happened lolz

I would at least be able to get everyone (un)safely to the scene of the crash. Where do we bury the survivors?

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Could you land a commercial airplane in an emergency?

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I think so.....might need some landing gear work when I'm done tho

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I’d much rather be trying to land the plane than being in the back knowing that someone like me was trying to land the plane.

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See that's confidence.

My psychotic self thinks that I would rather be the one kanding the plane even when the pilot is alive.

I've watched enough breakdowns of commercial aviation incidents to know I would completely fail without significant training and practice and even then I am not sure I could maintain control of the aircraft in a stressful situation.

If I was forced to, on the way down the flight data recorder would likely be picking up lots of Bank Angle, Sink Rate and other various GPWS warnings before I either hit terrain or stall the aircraft.

Yes if thry walk me through the process. I believe i could get it on the ground if we are still alive, i cant promise