Question Is it possible to land a Boeing 747 being a layman

[SuprunP]

Fun thread. Most transport category aircraft are pretty easy to fly with all the automation working...autopilot, autothrottles, flight director. It's just a matter of dialing this number, pushing that button, etc... in the right sequence. With autobrakes and autoland, the plane will track the centerline and break to a stop....if everything works correctly. :thumbup:

Dave
737 Captain

What about 'not all the automation working'?

Thanks.

 

[Cras]

What about 'not all the automation working'?

That is when things get interesting.

 

[FADEC]

On my desk you will find a copy of the b737 handbook. The first program I ever wrote was something that could return v-speeds given weight (and flap setting) for the ERJ-170. I am pretty enthralled by flight and more than that, I love plotting flight plans and then flying them as real as possible. I just am not diluted enough to think that makes me good at anything but a computer program that depicts flight.

I think it is not overbearing to assume that you would be able to auto land with instructions from ATC. Try to take a lesson in a full motion sim and you will see how smooth and easy it works. It's really worth it.

If you become a Pilot with Lufthansa, you get about 1,500 hours of theory and only about 300 hours of practice. The training for the A320 or 737-300/500 takes place entirely in the simulator. The first time you ever fly the real thing is the day of your exam at which the instructors decide whether you are ready to enter service or not. Just one day later your career begins, having flown no more than about 16 traffic patterns visual in the real thing. Everything else took place in the simulator.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Am I actually the only one who fantasizes about a trip in an airliner where some kind of incidents requires a passenger to take over and your Flight Simulator experience actually makes you the best suited candidate? :lol:

Not at all. Imagine the party that would ensue after you safely landed a 747 full of co-eds on their way to Daytona Beach for spring break thanks solely to your mad Orbiter skills.

I'm sorry, was that out loud? :lol: