As one that managed it half the time, let's look a bit deeper.
The reason that I was in the sim was:-
1. My Dad was chief engineer on the RB211. (Initial partner, Lockheed).
2. Post 1971, his new job was Tech Dir at Instron, who supplied the hydraulics and computers to interface with the Redifon stuff for their sims at that time.
3. At that time he was a rather good glider pilot (Diamond C) and had flown lots of powered stuff too.
That tells you about the home I grew up in (or, more accurately) the flying fields that an adolescent was more-or-less bored to tears on.
Told in advance ot this opportunity, I must have come up with the incapacitated pilots and flight engineer scenario.
Even as a know it all teenager, I realised that if I were thrust into the cockpit at 500 feet, it would not end well. I must have worked out (as I would now) that if I had height, time, fuel, and somebody who knew better on the radio, I might, given time, get used to the column loads and sensitivity of the aircraft. Which might then have a chance of working towards a successful result.
Even then, I would have known that when the "are there any pilots onboard?" call went unanswered, I wouldn't just blunder in and start waggling stuff.
Without going through the whole possible, and pretty unlikely scene that I'd imagined, I knew enough not to touch anything if it was going downwards.
Could I have seen what the ap and altimeter were doing? Yes. Ah and wings level? Yes.
Bodies in seats, hadn't thought that through, but common sense says get help to shift carefully.
Work out how to use the radio? Yes. Ask for help, and have a look at the ap panel and look for height if it's reducing. Be prepared for throttles if that doesn't work.
So given all of that, it's what I asked for in the sim. A bit of time to get used to pitch/power responses. And, as someone mentioned, throttle pitch up. L1011 remember, not so bad.
I passed, first time. And failed second time.
Had been very very rich I would have asked for a learning curve. I might have raised the 50/50 to something more acceptable.
Why am I not a pilot? Dad. Mr aviation, post RR crash, thought that there would not be any money in it as a pilot. Woops.
Bloody good at racing sailing boats though.