Re: How to Land an Airplane in an Emergency

**Charles Darwin** · 04-03-2009, 10:32 PM

Originally Posted by stickyjeans69

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPQhyLdWajk[/media]

haha the plane calls the pilot retard

50...40...30...20...10...retard..5

**stickyjeans69** · 04-03-2009, 10:33 PM

[media]http://www.cockpitware.com/pictures/pfd_metric.jpg[/media]

[media]http://www.beatair.ch/images/PFD.jpg[/media]

the top one is boeing, the bottom one is Airbus

notice in the very top of the display, these are your Mode Annunciations. tells you exactly how the airplane is operating and there's some 50~ different things you can see from it, in any combination of those 50.

More extremely valuable information comes from the ND

[media]http://www.b737.org.uk/images/ndmap.jpg[/media]

**A_Grounded_Pilot** · 04-06-2009, 10:37 AM

I gotta tell ya, that site is great to give you a taste of how difficult it will be. In reality, if you have someone who has never touched the controls and they are in a small airplane, they are pretty much boned. New students overcontrol the airplane so much that it is literally like a rollercoaster if I just let them go. Trying to land is a joke - crash city. The one exception is a Cirrus, where you can just pull the 'chute.

For the most part, it's a complete marketing gimmick and it gives doctors and lawyers a false sense of security while flying too much airplane for their ability. However, in the case of an incapacitated pilot, it's a really nice piece of equipment to have on board.

If you are on board a small jet and both members of the crew are incapacitated, you are in serious trouble. Qualified pilots with thousands of hours crash airplanes sometimes. Put a non-pilot at the controls and you will crash. Not "slide down the runway, pop the door open and hop down the slide" crash, but "smokin' hole, looking at dental records" crash. As mentioned upthread, you actually have a slightly better chance in a large jet, as they are generally better equipped. Most airliners are on autopilot from about 1 min after departure until just before landing. Your biggest challenge is going to be to find the hand mic. From there, it's communicating clearly, and listening very carefully to what the controller and the people who he calls in to help deal with the situation have to say. Don't touch ANYTHING unless you are absolutely sure it is what they are telling you to do. Hopefully they can get you to program the Flight Management System for an autoland approach somewhere. If you can get that far, you're in good shape. You still have a lot of work ahead of you, but at least you no longer have to control the airplane. The article mentions looking for red lights on the panel. Forget it. There's no way an untrained individual is going to jump into the cockpit and deal with a mechanical issue.

If you want to learn more, you can take AOPA's Pinch Hitter online teaser.

https://www.aopa.org/asf/osc/loginfo...project_code=&

You have to register, but it's free. AOPA won't sell your email address, but they will send you AOPA emails all the damn time.

**ScratchMonkey** · 04-06-2009, 05:32 PM

One of my coworkers, an engineer, reported that engineers make better pilots than doctors and lawyers. Doctors and lawyers worry about what they'll be doing when they land. Engineers are fascinated with all the nifty gizmos in the cockpit, so they tend to pay much more attention. My friend went on to become a charter pilot with small jets. He eventually got out of the business for economic reasons (ie. the industry was turning sour for him) and became a consultant.

If someone ever develops a cure for sleep, giving me many more hours to pursue more hobbies, I'd go for being an instrument-rated pilot. I did have a lot of fun the one time I had my hands on the controls. I suspect the flying from point A to point B would be mostly dull, but the ship itself is pretty nifty. I think if I were young and considering an Air Force career, knowing what I know now, I'd go for a mechanic position instead of a pilot position. Dealing with all the intricacies of keeping a fighter operational has gotta be a blast.

**Evo<^|SiNz|^>** · 04-06-2009, 05:55 PM

This reminds me of an interesting article I read on FlightSim.com a while back (I can't find it now, for the life of me) where a guy who liked flying a 737 in MSFS9 got a chance to go to Lufthansa's 737 simulator and fly. He flew a bunch of different approaches, and landed safely every time!

**creepin** · 04-11-2009, 06:05 PM

hah!

i did all the lessons in Flight Sim 2004, and still remember most of the stuff.

but i never understood how VOR navigation works and how to interpret it.

i guess i'm too retarded for that..

**ScratchMonkey** · 04-11-2009, 07:22 PM

http://www.navfltsm.addr.com/vor-nav.htm

My understanding is that VOR beacons work like freeway intersections. You fly either TO or FROM a VOR station along a "radial". When you get to a given VOR, you pick another and drive towards it, or drive away from the initial target along a specific radial.

**stickyjeans69** · 04-12-2009, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by ScratchMonkey

http://www.navfltsm.addr.com/vor-nav.htm

My understanding is that VOR beacons work like freeway intersections. You fly either TO or FROM a VOR station along a "radial". When you get to a given VOR, you pick another and drive towards it, or drive away from the initial target along a specific radial.

yes and no, Yes VOR's are a Primary Navigation method as of today. RNAV/GPS Procedures are being favored and the VOR system is being Phased out in Europe, and we're likely to follow.

VOR's in themselves are just Navigational aids, You can use them in a number of ways to get from Point A to point B there are also Victor, and Juliet airways, Victor are low altitude, Juliet are High altitude, there are also Low Level High speed Military routes *where you can find F-16's Hugging the ground going 300+ knots*

An Example of IFR navigation on VOR's

http://myairplane.com/databases/appr.../00237LAXX.PDF

This is the LAXX Six Standard Instrument Departure *SID* From Los Angeles International Airport. Notice the VOR Information its covered in for Pilot navigation.

This Second one is the HOLTZ Nine SID from Los Angeles, Similarly between the two you can get yourself the the Thermal *TRM* VOR for further Navigation between Los Angeles and wherever you're headed *there's about 10 different SIDS for LAX each one going in a different direction or for different aircraft type, etc. etc.* the Holtz Nine is an RNAV Route, Requiring GPS or IRU

Notice the Lack of VOR's

http://myairplane.com/databases/appr...00237HOLTZ.PDF

**A_Grounded_Pilot** · 04-13-2009, 11:40 AM

Thought this was relevant:

http://news-press.com/article/200904...0117/904130350

Note that he was a pilot, and he still had to be talked through everything by ATC. He had the huge advantages of knowing how to talk on the radio and knowing how to flare in a landing.

**creepin** · 04-13-2009, 11:57 AM

yeah, communication is the most important thing in these situations.

And flaring, i guess that can be explained via radio too. its nice to hear that stuff like that actually works

**Jimbostein** · 04-14-2009, 10:30 AM

Here is some audio clips of that man's experience in Florida.

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/...ot-loses-cons/

**Bamboo** · 04-14-2009, 11:21 AM

I kept laughing about that on the news when I first head it because of the timing of this thread.

**kevlarorc** · 04-15-2009, 05:00 AM

"120, Niner Delta Whiskey 21400. Got one forward indicator....................Got a dead pilot sittin beside me."
I feel so bad for laughing but the timing of his comment was perfect.

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