'Is there a pilot on board?'
Join Date: Apr 2004
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I am up for it
Have mangaged to put down a 747-400 on 13 at Kai TAK thanks to the nice guys at BA Cranebank in 1995.
To start we tried the L1011 - 500 whitch was a real eye opener and for me difficult to fly accuratley. I remember struggling to take all of the information in given the that it was an analogue cockpit and needed a full crew including a F/E to get the best out of it. Those windows were amazing with excellent visibility, I remember subsequently travelling in the jumpseat accross the pond to KJFK and the base of the window was level with my thigh...any way the session culminated in me landing on top of hatton cross underground...not good.
For the 747 we started with general handling out of KJFK including almost taking the aerial of the top of one of the twin towers, but lets not go there.....the sound effects were amazing even could feel the nose whell clunk home. My missus who at the time was serving as cabin crew on the same type concurred that the feeling and effects were spot on. After the initial fun we then switched to a checkerboard approach into Kai Tak..from memory the aircraft was very stable but had massive inertia and required positive handling, managed to "hit" the touchdown zone and with full reverse and heavy braking managed to stop before the end....absolutley amazing. The fact is that with the MFD display with predictive trend data and a freindly co-pilot handling the rubber bands, the bird is quite easy to fly.
The only experience I had was MS Flt sim at the time.
Now with a PPl I believe that with the knowledge of a remote co-pilot and a glass cockpit, the passengers would walk away. However if you happen to be onboard an analaogue bird, you will struggle.......
One point to wrap up and the only other consideration I could see getting in the way....what if it is a double crew incapacitation? Could the CC get the door open to let you in????
Have mangaged to put down a 747-400 on 13 at Kai TAK thanks to the nice guys at BA Cranebank in 1995.
To start we tried the L1011 - 500 whitch was a real eye opener and for me difficult to fly accuratley. I remember struggling to take all of the information in given the that it was an analogue cockpit and needed a full crew including a F/E to get the best out of it. Those windows were amazing with excellent visibility, I remember subsequently travelling in the jumpseat accross the pond to KJFK and the base of the window was level with my thigh...any way the session culminated in me landing on top of hatton cross underground...not good.
For the 747 we started with general handling out of KJFK including almost taking the aerial of the top of one of the twin towers, but lets not go there.....the sound effects were amazing even could feel the nose whell clunk home. My missus who at the time was serving as cabin crew on the same type concurred that the feeling and effects were spot on. After the initial fun we then switched to a checkerboard approach into Kai Tak..from memory the aircraft was very stable but had massive inertia and required positive handling, managed to "hit" the touchdown zone and with full reverse and heavy braking managed to stop before the end....absolutley amazing. The fact is that with the MFD display with predictive trend data and a freindly co-pilot handling the rubber bands, the bird is quite easy to fly.
The only experience I had was MS Flt sim at the time.
Now with a PPl I believe that with the knowledge of a remote co-pilot and a glass cockpit, the passengers would walk away. However if you happen to be onboard an analaogue bird, you will struggle.......
One point to wrap up and the only other consideration I could see getting in the way....what if it is a double crew incapacitation? Could the CC get the door open to let you in????
Join Date: Jul 2003
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I have an hour in an A320 sim at Cranebank, as a ppl holder found it ok to fly a circuit and tricky to make the landings smooth, had a fair amount of help from the guy in the left hand seat mind !!!
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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Radalt not really necessary, at least in the 777, as the nice voice calls out the numbers for you - as my friend recommended, at 50ft think about flaring, at 30ft gently bring the nose up, all then happens entirely predictably.
Tim
Tim
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I think if there were a double incapacitation, the most likely thing to happen would be for someone to be instructed how to perform an autoland.
So unless both pilots kick the bucket and then there is a lack of ILS equipped runways, this won't be happening anytime soon.....
So unless both pilots kick the bucket and then there is a lack of ILS equipped runways, this won't be happening anytime soon.....
Join Date: Oct 2000
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one of the flying mags did an article on just this scenario about 6 years ago:
I think it was Pilot:might have been Flyer but it was before T's P.
Anybody got the ref?
Safe flying
Cusco
I think it was Pilot:might have been Flyer but it was before T's P.
Anybody got the ref?
Safe flying
Cusco
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If I actually was in that situation, I see two options:
1) Talk to someone on the radios, try to be a hero, and handfly the bogger.
-or-
2) Talk to someone on the radios about how to program the automatic flight system for a full autoland at the airport around with the longest runway/best rescue services/etc, let the automatics do the job, and let the purser/cabin crew chief organize an evacuation.
I like to think no 1 is more fun, but no 2 seems more reasonable.
1) Talk to someone on the radios, try to be a hero, and handfly the bogger.
-or-
2) Talk to someone on the radios about how to program the automatic flight system for a full autoland at the airport around with the longest runway/best rescue services/etc, let the automatics do the job, and let the purser/cabin crew chief organize an evacuation.
I like to think no 1 is more fun, but no 2 seems more reasonable.
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Good to know that I'm not the only crazy person in the world who thinks of such scenarios where a pilot would be needed for some unforseen reason 
I'm sure that with help over the radio, i'd be able to land it!
I'm sure that with help over the radio, i'd be able to land it!
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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bfisk,
We did a full cat II autoland (not cat III simply because you wouldn't actually see anything!) and I have to say it was awesome. We made the weather absolutely atrocious and it still greased it on!
T
We did a full cat II autoland (not cat III simply because you wouldn't actually see anything!) and I have to say it was awesome. We made the weather absolutely atrocious and it still greased it on!
T
