Co-pilot gets sick, stewardess helps land airplane
in [Airline Travel]
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From: Hatunen on 17 Jun 2010 17:26 On Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:41:58 +0200, Mxsmanic <mxsmanic(a)gmail.com> wrote: >Floyd <""Ralph\"@ ralphs.com"> writes: > >> I hope the attendant gets a chance to fly for American as a pilot. > >Without valid and current pilot's certifications, her chances are zero. And >she's past 60 years old, so she probably wouldn't be a good investment as a >pilot at this point in time. Perhaps not for an ATR rating, but it was already mentioned that she has a commrcial pilot's license. -- ************* DAVE HATUNEN (hatunen(a)cox.net) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *
From: Wingnut on 18 Jun 2010 00:13 On Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:10:01 -0700, Dudley Henriques wrote: > It helped certainly that this nice lady had flying experience but it > was by NO MEANS essential to what she was asked to do or what she > actually did in the cockpit. > > Had the Captain opted to, he most certainly could have completed the > flight to a safe completion from the left seat without assistance. He > might have had to extend his reach a bit at times, but nothing earth > shattering for sure. > > All in all, this was a class crew and they did a class job, right down > to the stew who very classily and politely deflated the media hype on > her role in the completion of this flight. Consider who would have been landing the plane if something had caused the pilot to also conk out, though. Then her prior flight experience would have become quite relevant indeed.
From: Dudley Henriques on 18 Jun 2010 08:45 On Jun 18, 12:13 am, Wingnut <wingnut45...(a)hotmail.invalid> wrote: > On Thu, 17 Jun 2010 14:10:01 -0700, Dudley Henriques wrote: > > It helped certainly that this nice lady had flying experience but it > > was by NO MEANS essential to what she was asked to do or what she > > actually did in the cockpit. > > > Had the Captain opted to, he most certainly could have completed the > > flight to a safe completion from the left seat without assistance. He > > might have had to extend his reach a bit at times, but nothing earth > > shattering for sure. > > > All in all, this was a class crew and they did a class job, right down > > to the stew who very classily and politely deflated the media hype on > > her role in the completion of this flight. > > Consider who would have been landing the plane if something had caused > the pilot to also conk out, though. Then her prior flight experience > would have become quite relevant indeed. It's an interesting hypothesis for sure, and such a scenario has indeed been the subject of many discussions over time. The general consensus in the area where I work in human factors in aircraft accidents is that the result of such an attempt would depend on many factors, a great many of these factors over and above the "experience" factor of the newbie involved. Makes a great movie though :-)) DH
From: Mxsmanic on 18 Jun 2010 13:51 Wingnut writes: > Consider who would have been landing the plane if something had caused > the pilot to also conk out, though. Then her prior flight experience > would have become quite relevant indeed. Not necessarily. In a situation like that, what would be most important would be her ability to follow instructions precisely, and the availability of a qualified pilot to guide her over the radio. These two things would override any piloting experience she might have. There are two myths that need to be dispelled, namely (1) the notion that anyone with any piloting experience necessarily will do a better job of getting an plane home safely in an emergency, and (2) the notion that someone without any piloting experience would necessarily crash the airplane. The skill needed when both pilots get sick from the fish is an ability to do as one is told, and this is independent of piloting experience. Additionally, a qualified pilot needs to be available on the radio (preferably an instructor). An experienced Cessna pilot without help over the radio will probably get in some possibly fatal trouble, and conversely a non-pilot with expert help over the radio may well be able to land the airplane safely. This has a great deal to do with automation and the differences between airliners and small aircraft. You would definitely want to avoid someone who might be tempted to take initiatives rather than just follow instructions--and for this reason, putting a Cessna pilot in the left seat might actually be a worse idea than putting a complete non-pilot in that seat. The non-pilot might be more likely to just do as he is told, which is exactly what you need.
From: Bob Myers on 18 Jun 2010 14:17
Mxsmanic wrote: > > There are two myths that need to be dispelled, namely (1) the notion > that anyone with any piloting experience necessarily will do a better > job of getting an plane home safely in an emergency, and (2) the > notion that someone without any piloting experience would necessarily > crash the airplane. Your personal experience re piloting is...what, exactly? Bob M. |