25 ms·

Passenger with “no idea how to fly” lands plane after pilot incapacitated

814 points by lxm 4y ago

vhodges 4y ago
Wow... They should make a movie about that. For you youngins out there... this is a joke, there were several Airport 7X movies (including an episode of The Incredible Hulk (Bill Bixby series) where Banner/The Hulk had to land a plane) in the 70's.
- agloeregrets 4y ago
  That is actually an interesting concept for the Hulk. In a small plane, if he were to go green he would immediately cause a crash so Banner would have to calmly listen to instructions while fighting the stress.
  - vhodges 4y ago
    On the episode it was a passenger airliner but yeah :). iirc he hulked out at the last minute to apply more pressure to the brake peddle.
- robertoandred 4y ago
  I just want to tell you both good luck, we're all counting on you.
  - vhodges 4y ago
    I surely appreciate that
- coldpie 4y ago
  > For you youngins out there... in the 70's. People born in 1980 are turning 42 this year :)
edf13 4y ago
That auto-play video is annoying!
- aqme28 4y ago
  They're commenting on parts of the source video that we can't even see! What is the point of that?
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - joadha 4y ago
    To obscure the facts of the story that when gathered make it less impactful / impressive. It's clear that the "no idea how to fly" guy actually had plenty idea, when you listen to the full audio.
orbital-decay 4y ago
>air traffic controllers were able to locate the plane on radar and walk the passenger through how to land the small plane Are ATCOs actually trained for this kind of situation?
- Overtonwindow 4y ago
  Yes, in most cases, but also modern aircraft over the last 50 years has become very safe. The plane practically flies itself.
  - zokier 4y ago
    I don't know if I'd call Cessna 208 particularly modern, it is 40 year old model
  - jolux 4y ago
    Yeah but I thought takeoff and landing were the two parts that still required mostly manual control?
    - haunter 4y ago
      Autoland has been a (mostly emergency) feature for years https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoland It might have been installed on the plane https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ruFmgTpqA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ruFmgTpqA https://www.easa.europa.eu/community/topics/emergency-autoland-0 https://www.easa.europa.eu/community/topics/emergency-autola...
      - outworlder 4y ago
        Autoland in a Caravan?!
    - sandworm101 4y ago
      If the weather conditions are favorable, there isn't much needed. This would have been a very stable aircraft on its own. If the controls are setup properly in advance of the runway, it will descend and "land" with little input. In all likelihood they used a long approach, strait-in, to an airfield totally cleared of all other traffic. He would have had a strait shot in from many miles away. The important decision was to keep him following the coastline. A random aircraft over florida land would be a nightmare to locate and deal with on radar, even if the transponder was functional. Keeping him following the coastline would have made the fix much simpler.
vmception 4y ago
bravo! any idea how hard or easy this is? did the passenger land on an airstrip or where? all details lacking
- aero-glide2 4y ago
  Im not familiar with this plane, but the Airbus a320 has an auto-landing autopilot. I wonder how often that's used though.
  - NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
    A Cessna 208 is definitely not in that category of aircraft; this is a small (<10 pax), single-engined turboprop.
    - zokier 4y ago
      That being said I, with no aviation experience, definitely would feel more comfortable attempting to land a Cessna than an Airbus even if it were more manual operation
  - Nextgrid 4y ago
    Passenger-jet autoland systems still rely on a lot of prior configuration such as dialing in ILS frequencies, setting the right autopilot settings, etc.
  - jaywalk 4y ago
    Most commercial airliners have the same system. It's mainly used in bad weather when the visibility is below minimums for a manual landing. CAT IIIc autoland (the highest/most advanced) is certified for zero-visibility landings.
- andrewmunsell 4y ago
  They landed at an airport. I think the CNN article has a bit more context: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-passenger-lands-plane/index.html https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-passenger-lands-p... > Morgan learned the passenger on the line had never flown a plane -- but had been around aviation and seen other pilots fly. If they've been around planes like this before, I don't think it'd be that difficult to land in one piece with guidance (and the ATC seemed to be a CFI as well). But what do I know, I'm still working on my PPL. Hopefully the passenger got his logbook signed for his first solo
js2 4y ago
Similar thing happened to Doug White in 2009 while in a twin-engine King Air 200. He had limited flight experience on single-engine Cessna 172s, but no flight experience on a King Air 200. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2009/april/14/unintentional-king-air-pilot-an-interview-with-doug-white https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2009/april/14/u... Simulation of the flight set to ATC recordings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqPvVxxIDr0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqPvVxxIDr0
- kingcharles 4y ago
  I thought they must be reposting this landing when I saw the headline! It's a great video though. I look forward to a new one from this landing in the near future.
- knodi123 4y ago
  If you've learned how to glance at airspeed, how to pitch for speed, and when to flare, you're 90% of the way there. Those are the hard parts you need practice for. Right? And everything else, ATC can talk you through. I mean, a King Air is going to have dual engine controls, but you only operate them both in sync. It will have manual gear, but you just need to find the control and activate it. I'm not that surprised an experienced cessna pilot could land a complex twin engine.
oh_sigh 4y ago
ATC audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA Listening to the passenger, it does sound like they have a modicum of flight experience.
- the_af 4y ago
  Agreed. He even understands some of the lingo. Doesn't mean he knew how to fly any airplane (or land one!) but he seems at least technically minded.
civil_engineer 4y ago
Pilot here. I'm floored that a person with no flying experience could put this airplane down without a scratch. Air traffic controllers are not necessarily pilots, but luckily, this one was a pilot and certified instructor. ATC and passenger worked through a stressful situation to produce an amazing outcome. Bravo!
- enw 4y ago
  > Air traffic controllers are not necessarily pilots, but luckily, this one was a pilot and certified instructor. Source? The article itself is quite short.
  - ashtonbaker 4y ago
    wapo article quotes this from the liveatc recording
  - the_af 4y ago
    It is mentioned (speculated about, actually) in the ATC radio chatter, see here near the 4:50 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA
- throwaway0a5e 4y ago
  A lot of people in aviation wind up being instructors to rack up flight hours early in their careers. An ATC, A&P mechanic, a charter pilot or any other aviation professional that would have probably had some commercial flying time earlier in their career being an instructor isn't a given but it's also not surprising at all. The fact that they were able to verbalize stuff sufficiently well for the person at the controls to do the right thing is the more impressive part.
- brightball 4y ago
  I heard the story on the radio this morning and they said that not only was the controller a certified instructor but he flew this specific plane so he knew how to direct him to everything on the panel! Really incredible bit of coincidence.
rvba 4y ago
More info http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2022/05/cessna-208-caravan-n333ld-incident.html?m=1 http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2022/05/cessna-208-caravan-n33...
asdfman123 4y ago
I bet this was a guy raised on video games. I was about to make a joke about it but I'm actually serious. Once I, a former Houstonian with no experience driving on ice, was driving through the snowy mountains and lost control of my car. Instead of panicking, my video-game-induced laser focus kicked in and I calmly piloted the car until the wheels gained traction and I could park the car on the side of the road. But learning how to focus in the midst of chaos, instead of panicking, is a technique I specifically had to learn in childhood to beat challenging levels of Super Mario Brothers. Thanks, video games.
- rhdunn 4y ago
  If they made a film of this or a similar style story, it would be interesting to do it in a slumdog millionaire style where the character picks up some things playing video games, some from a case where the nato phonetic alphabet is used, some from watching aircraft investigation shows, etc.
- qwopqwopqw0p 4y ago
- sandworm101 4y ago
  "Moore is suspected of being responsible for approximately 100 thefts in Washington, Idaho, and Canada, including bicycles, automobiles, light aircraft, and speedboats.[15] It is believed that he learned how to fly small planes by reading aircraft manuals, handbooks, watching a "How to fly a small airplane" DVD, and playing flight simulator computer games.[17] One plane he stole was a Cessna 182, FAA registration number N24658, belonging to then KZOK-FM radio personality Bob Rivers, valued at over $150,000.[20] The plane was later recovered from a Yakama Indian Reservation crash site. Though badly damaged, it was rebuilt and is in Florida." "He became known as the "Barefoot Bandit" by reportedly committing some of his crimes barefoot, once leaving behind 39 chalk footprints and the word "c'ya!". Despite the widely reported nickname, officials said that he more often wore shoes." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/the-airplane-thief-244878/ https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/the-airpla...
wolf550e 4y ago
Some more discussion of the incident on /r/aviation https://old.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/umzwrh/passenger_with_zero_flight_experience_lands/ https://old.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/umzwrh/passenger_...
supercheetah 4y ago
Mythbusters did something like this, but it was just using one of those big commercial training simulators instead of a real plane if I recall correctly, and showed that it was possible.
- tragictrash 4y ago
  I would wager a small plane would be easier to land than a commercial airliner partially due to the fewer number of switches in the cockpit.
  - wl 4y ago
    Commercial airliners have autoland systems. Much less common in smaller planes.
    - tragictrash 4y ago
      The supposed scenario is manual landing, don't know if that was mentioned in the op
    - Nextgrid 4y ago
      Configuring these is very difficult (for a non-pilot) and it might rely on airport-side equipment that not all airports have.
      - wl 4y ago
        Configuring an autopilot is not that difficult when someone is telling you exactly what to do. It's also more likely to have a good result vs. relying on underdeveloped stick and rudder skills. In a situation where a non-pilot is pressed into flying an airliner because of pilot incapacitation, tiny municipal airstrips without ILS aren't really an option, anyway.
  - sarpeedo 4y ago
    Most modern airliners are equipped with capabilities to conduct Category IIIa ILS approaches with autoland. One would probably be able to coach a passenger through the steps necessary to get set up this kind of approach.
jaywalk 4y ago
Garmin's got a relatively new system called Autoland that is designed for this exact situation. It allows a plane to land simply by pushing one button. It will pick the nearest appropriate airport, communicate with ATC, and land the plane entirely on its own. It's pretty amazing technology: https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/garmin-autoland-this-changes-everything/ https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/garmin-autoland-thi...
- tragictrash 4y ago
  I've always said the reason we don't have flying cars yet is because people can't drive in 2D much less 3D. This gives me hope.
  - KennyBlanken 4y ago
    The autopilot declares an emergency via transponder code and radio calls, which means suddenly everything else in the sky is moved out of your way for you and you're given near-exclusive use of whatever airport the autopilot picks. This does not bring us closer to "flying cars."
    - moffkalast 4y ago
      You mean like when cars turn on emergency blinkers any everything moves out of your way?
      - KennyBlanken 4y ago
        A pilot declaring an in-flight emergency gets near authority over the airspace they are in. After confirming the declaration fuel/passenger count, the next question a controller usually asks is "what are your intentions?", ie "what are you going do, so we can get everyone out of your way?" I've never heard a controller get more authoritative than politely ask the pilot if they'll consider something or are able to do something.
  - tshaddox 4y ago
mmcconnell1618 4y ago
Mythbusters once went to a commercial airline simulator to test the idea that a passenger with no training could land the plane. Without ATC help, it wasn't a great outcome. With ATC, they faired much better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ8K-hOcRHk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ8K-hOcRHk
- hugh-avherald 4y ago
  Large aircraft are one thing, but most folks could land a light aircraft most of the time in good weather with barely any training. But most is like 80% and there's probably a 10% chance of dying or at least badly damaging the aircraft.
  - pc86 4y ago
    Not nitpicking because I agree with you, but in an emergency situation like this if you can walk away from the airplane, the condition of it is irrelevant. So I think at least 85-90% of the time (in good weather with a crosswind component below 7-8kts or so) everyone would be okay. And absolutely agreed on the large aircraft part. I'm a private pilot, but no instrument cert yet, with only piston single experience - not even a high performance or complex endorsement - and I'm pretty sure if I had to land a widebody commercial airliner the only difference between me and someone with no experience is I'd sound better on the radio. I think the end result would probably be the same.
    - Nextgrid 4y ago
      I think the first obstacle for a layman to land a plane is to not panic and figure out how to work the radio (without pressing the wrong thing and accidentally shutting down the engines or something equally disastrous) so they can then follow the instructions calmly. I’d expect most people that would fail would fail at this stage - if they can get past that, their odds improve a lot.
      - dlisboa 4y ago
        That's exactly right. This pilot on YouTube did this test with a layperson and the main issue was getting comms up. It took like 20 minutes if I remember correctly, but after that the landing itself went alright. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw6mjVIdbbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw6mjVIdbbc
jmkni 4y ago
Stupid question, but could this guy end up in some sort of legal trouble? He's obviously a hero and saved the lives of everyone on board, but it's still illegal to fly a plane while unqualified, right?
- djohnston 4y ago
  Definitely not illegal in an emergency situation like this.
  - bendbro 4y ago
    Source: just trust me bro. It better be legal, or the FAA better not prosecute.
- nkozyra 4y ago
  > He's obviously a hero and saved the lives of everyone on board, but it's still illegal to fly a plane while unqualified, right? What, uh, is the alternative?
- schmookeeg 4y ago
  While I think even the colossally tone-deaf FAA wouldn't try to prosecute this guy under these circumstances, there's an odd gray area here, where a certificated pilot can deviate from any regulation to meet the need of an emergency [1] -- so I think a twist of logic would allow a non-pilot to be allowed to deviate from the "must have a pilot certificate" rules to meet his emergency the same way while acting as pilot-in-command of this plane. Not a lawyer, am a flight instructor, I think 91.3 is how this non-pilot gets to use pilot regs to get out of pilot jail :) [1] https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/91.3 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/91.3
  - moduspol 4y ago
    One might argue that if he's specifically following the direct instructions of the ATC, who is a licensed pilot in this case, that the ATC is "the pilot," and his allowing of a non-pilot to push the buttons on his behalf was a necessary deviation to handle the emergency and land the plane.
edm0nd 4y ago
Really interesting. Also a throwback to the infamous "barefoot bandit" who learned how to fly a plane by: "It is believed that he learned how to fly small planes by reading aircraft manuals, handbooks, watching a "How to fly a small airplane" DVD, and playing flight simulator computer games." He stole and flew a Cessna 400 and a Cessna 182. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore
bombcar 4y ago
My very first flight with a CFI had me do everything but the radio - the landing is perhaps the hardest part but if you have someone to talk you through it, and you can get vectored to the longest possible runway around, it's not that hard (you can basically fly level above the runway and slowly bring back power, which will eventually touch down).
NelsonMinar 4y ago
Video of the landing, it's very nicely done. https://twitter.com/aviationbrk/status/1524410837414391809 https://twitter.com/aviationbrk/status/1524410837414391809
- rootusrootus 4y ago
  And that's not a little 172, that's a bit bigger! Nicely done indeed. I think the guy deserves an honorary set of wings for that.
- jessriedel 4y ago
  MP3 recording of the full conversation with air-traffic control: https://archive.liveatc.net/ht/kpbi-kfpr.mp3 https://archive.liveatc.net/ht/kpbi-kfpr.mp3 Sadly, the landing instructions were given by cell phone and apparently weren't recorded.
- avemg 4y ago
  I've made worse landings with a CFI sitting next to me in the cockpit when I was starting out. Landed a bit long but otherwise looked like a soft touchdown and a straight roll. Very impressive!
  - kloch 4y ago
    You see worse landings every year at Oshkosh. A little hard and nose-first but at least he kept it on the ground and didn't bounce-bounce-crash.
- dredmorbius 4y ago
  https://nitter.kavin.rocks/aviationbrk/status/1524410837414391809 https://nitter.kavin.rocks/aviationbrk/status/15244108374143...
- aasasd 4y ago
  To my noob eye, it seems that the person did absolutely no pitching to shave off the speed. That's the hard part, in my very limited experience with simulators. Dunno if this plane does usually need pitching, but I guess they were very lucky to have enough of the runway.
belter 4y ago
For when the call comes... "How YOU can land a passenger aircraft! 12 steps" https://youtu.be/ePDl1JNqjpM https://youtu.be/ePDl1JNqjpM
teeray 4y ago
I hope the passenger at least got a logbook with an entry for his surprise discovery flight
theiasson 4y ago
Reminds of this episode of QI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzRhDyyOlcM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzRhDyyOlcM
BXLE_1-1-BitIs1 4y ago
Looking at the ATC transcript, the passenger couldn't figure out the transponder, change frequencies or give out his cell phone number. At least he was able to get the microphone working. Likely he eventually picked up the phone number ATC gave him and they took it from there. The video shows ATC got him to a really long runway, a good portion of which he overflew. No flare on the landing, but the Caravan is a tough bird, the descent rate was gentle and the attitude was just right. An excellent landing is where you can use the airplane again (without repairs).
- theonething 4y ago
  > the attitude was just right attitude or altitude? I imagine both would be correct. :)
  - wolf550e 4y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attitude_control https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attitude_control
  - recursive 4y ago
    I suspect altitude, attitude (aviation), and attitude (mental) were all three correct. :)
- digitallyfree 4y ago
  From the transcript it looked like the passenger had a lot of trouble giving out his phone number as well as getting the phone number from ATC. I wonder if it would make more sense for him to dial 911 on his cell phone instead given the emergency situation and have dispatch deal with routing him to the necessary help.
irrational 4y ago
Apparently there were 2 passengers. I wonder if one of the passengers video chatted with the air traffic controller so they could see what the person in the pilot’s seat was doing?
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
bendbro 4y ago
- outworlder 4y ago
  > As a NTSB FAA CFI, MD, Esq, I doubt you are any of those if that's what you have to say.
  - bendbro 4y ago
tptacek 4y ago
The CNN article has audio. I can't believe how calm the passenger is. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-passenger-lands-plane/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-passenger-lan...
ctvo 4y ago
This is a side of Florida Man we rarely hear about.
backtoyoujim 4y ago
The passenger was given the "first lesson is free" discount.
Maursault 4y ago
I grew up in Florida. It would take all my fingers and toes and more to count the number of times I have seen articles or even witnessed personally from the beach a pilot of a small craft either die naturally at the controls or have some medical event that causes a crash and death. Why are small planes necessary? Am I wrong to believe what it seems like, that the overwhelmingly popular purpose is entertainment? Is anyone else sick of being lead poisoned? I am all for scrutinizing and restricting the driver's licenses of the elderly or those with severe medical issues that will inevitably lead to an accident. This goes doubly so for pilots. I know there's a lot young pilots. I take no issue with you. But it seems like most pilots and owners of small planes are over retirement age. It is the entitlement that gets under my skin, the entitlement to poison everyone on the ground with lead as well as put innocent bystanders in danger. Why do we allow this? There are severe problems with conservative ideals, and mainly it has to do with entitlement, a telltale symptom of mental illness, namely, narcissism. Fuck narcissists.
- postalrat 4y ago
  What do you think of all the people young drivers kill? Should people be prevented from driving they are a bit more responsible? Maybe around 30 years.
  - Maursault 4y ago
    Poor judgement is not the same as incapacity. We have a framework to deal with poor judgement. What we also need is a framework to deal with incapacity.
    - ledauphin 4y ago
      we do - they're called Aviation Medical Examiners. The pilot operating this flight would have had, at minimum, a 2nd class medical, which has to be renewed every 12 months.
      - Maursault 4y ago
        > which has to be renewed every 12 months. That is simply insufficient. Introduce age to the standard and increase frequency of examinations with increasing age. And let's strongly discourage pilots over a certain age where reaction time, eye-sight and cognition is known to become more deficient. Yes, definitely let's discourage and restrict old people from operating dangerous machinery, no matter how rich and entitled and personally insulted they may be.
WalterBright 4y ago
My dad (Air Force) said that sometimes a mechanic would decide he knew how to fly, and would take off in a military plane (this was long ago). They'd fly around a bit, and then realize they have no idea how to land. They'd get on the radio, and the tower would talk them down. Meet the mechanic on the runway, and escort him off to prison.
- zokier 4y ago
  Variation of this story? https://fighterjetsworld.com/weekly-article/holdens-lightning-flight-the-story-engineer-who-accidentally-took-off-in-a-fighter-jet/26154/ https://fighterjetsworld.com/weekly-article/holdens-lightnin...
  - WalterBright 4y ago
    That story was about an accident. My dad's story was about a deliberate act, and it put the mechanic in prison.
whimsicalism 4y ago
Listening to the audio of the conversation, it doesn't seem like the passenger has no flying experience... At minimum they must have spent significant time around aviation or be ex-military. e: From another comment on Reddit > Examples: > The passenger knew what button to press on the yoke to transmit to ATC. > The passenger knew aviation phraseology and phonetics “333 Lima Delta”. > The passenger knew where the altimeter was and his altitude “I’m maintaining 9100 feet” > Passenger was able to identify the transponder and enter a squawk code. > Passenger knew what the vertical speed indicator was “I’m descending right now at 550 feet a minute passing 8640 feet”. > My wife, who flies with me regularly, might get one or two of those items, but probably couldn't point out the transponder, much less enter a squawk code without instructions.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
zendaven 4y ago
Did the passenger have to move the pilot out of his seat? Or is the plane designed so that the passenger can also pilot in scenarios like this?
- piperswe 4y ago
  Typically all the controls are accessible in both front seats - there's a yoke for each seat and the main controls are near the center console
erex78 4y ago
ATC audio of the event: https://archive.liveatc.net/ht/kpbi-kfpr.mp3 https://archive.liveatc.net/ht/kpbi-kfpr.mp3
alaricus 4y ago
Reminds me of this classic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airplane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airplane! Where's Leslie Nielsen when you want him?
- ts4z 4y ago
  I just want to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you.
causi 4y ago
Sort of begs the question, why don't commercial airliners have remote-fly capabilities? Hook it through a hardware interlock and keep one pilot on call somewhere in the country at all times.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- hindsightbias 4y ago
  The FAA and industry are researching this as an option for future a/c due to pilot shortages. A ground-based pilot would assist multiple a/c pilots on various tasks and planning and would be able to take over in an emergency.
ggcdn 4y ago
its every bored daydreaming passenger's dream come true!
cfield 4y ago
The landing was beautifully smooth — an impressive feat by any measure. The best video of it I've seen so far is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2fQkJGbRcA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2fQkJGbRcA Another perspective is at 1:24 of this video: https://youtu.be/k1n85oiLqUc?t=84 https://youtu.be/k1n85oiLqUc?t=84
nilayj 4y ago
Why did this plane not have a copilot? Usually there are 2 people flying a plane?
- mb7733 4y ago
  This wasn't an airliner.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
robofanatic 4y ago
We need self landing planes
spacemanmatt 4y ago
Bucket list material, if you ask me, but no one ever does and I can't figure out why!!
bangalore 4y ago
Surely you can't be serious.
AiFoGhost 4y ago
Absolutely incredible. What a nightmare. But also, haven't we all daydreamed of handling a moment like this gracefully?
alkonaut 4y ago
I picture this scenario every time I land that stupid Cessna in ms flight simulator. It’s not going to happen, at least not until I follow someone up in an actual Cessna. But I’m not too worried about the landing by now at least.
georgecmu 4y ago
A reconstruction of the flight with the full comms recording and a partial transcription: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euHZI0f2fBU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euHZI0f2fBU
kmstout 4y ago
"When did you learn how to fly?" "I didn't, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."
mostertoaster 4y ago
This is just awesome.
mc4ndr3 4y ago
Where was the copilot?
qiskit 4y ago
Question. How feasible would it to have an automated landing system for airplanes. So that in case the pilot is incapicitated, you could flip a switch and have the plane land itself.
mrbonner 4y ago
So, if I spent 1000+ hours playing Falcon 4 and IL2-Sturmovik, would they classify me as "no idea how to fly"? I mean I have never control a plane in real-life but I wouldn't have much difficulty following flight instruction from ATC guy verbatim, right?
banga 4y ago
At first I was impressed. Now I wonder if this was another "influencer" stunt. Sad that such a view even comes to the fore.
modinfo 4y ago
Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) once flew a plane too after the pilot fainted in 2001 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/mr-bean-flies-plane-over-kenya-after-pilot-faints/article4145607/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/mr-bean-flies-pla...
leemailll 4y ago
ATC communication recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA
Biologist123 4y ago
I really hope this doesn’t give EasyJet any cost-cutting ideas.
smm11 4y ago
BS "no idea how to fly."
privatdozent 4y ago
Mythbusters tried this (in a simulator) and both succeeded as long as the ATC was there to give instructions
eklavyaa 4y ago
Hope everyone is safe.On lighter note, This has been my fantasy, to land a plane. PS: I am not a pilot, but never missed single episode of Discovery "Wings" as a Kid.
xony 4y ago

814 points by lxm 4y ago

Wow... They should make a movie about that. For you youngins out there... this is a joke, there were several Airport 7X movies (including an episode of The Incredible Hulk (Bill Bixby series) where Banner/The Hulk had to land a plane) in the 70's.

agloeregrets 4y ago
That is actually an interesting concept for the Hulk. In a small plane, if he were to go green he would immediately cause a crash so Banner would have to calmly listen to instructions while fighting the stress.
- vhodges 4y ago
  On the episode it was a passenger airliner but yeah :). iirc he hulked out at the last minute to apply more pressure to the brake peddle.
robertoandred 4y ago
I just want to tell you both good luck, we're all counting on you.
- vhodges 4y ago
  I surely appreciate that
coldpie 4y ago
> For you youngins out there... in the 70's. People born in 1980 are turning 42 this year :)

edf13 4y ago

That auto-play video is annoying!

aqme28 4y ago
They're commenting on parts of the source video that we can't even see! What is the point of that?
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- joadha 4y ago
  To obscure the facts of the story that when gathered make it less impactful / impressive. It's clear that the "no idea how to fly" guy actually had plenty idea, when you listen to the full audio.

orbital-decay 4y ago

>air traffic controllers were able to locate the plane on radar and walk the passenger through how to land the small plane Are ATCOs actually trained for this kind of situation?

Overtonwindow 4y ago
Yes, in most cases, but also modern aircraft over the last 50 years has become very safe. The plane practically flies itself.
- zokier 4y ago
  I don't know if I'd call Cessna 208 particularly modern, it is 40 year old model
- jolux 4y ago
  Yeah but I thought takeoff and landing were the two parts that still required mostly manual control?
  - haunter 4y ago
    Autoland has been a (mostly emergency) feature for years https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoland It might have been installed on the plane https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ruFmgTpqA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ruFmgTpqA https://www.easa.europa.eu/community/topics/emergency-autoland-0 https://www.easa.europa.eu/community/topics/emergency-autola...
    - outworlder 4y ago
      Autoland in a Caravan?!
  - sandworm101 4y ago
    If the weather conditions are favorable, there isn't much needed. This would have been a very stable aircraft on its own. If the controls are setup properly in advance of the runway, it will descend and "land" with little input. In all likelihood they used a long approach, strait-in, to an airfield totally cleared of all other traffic. He would have had a strait shot in from many miles away. The important decision was to keep him following the coastline. A random aircraft over florida land would be a nightmare to locate and deal with on radar, even if the transponder was functional. Keeping him following the coastline would have made the fix much simpler.

vmception 4y ago

bravo! any idea how hard or easy this is? did the passenger land on an airstrip or where? all details lacking

aero-glide2 4y ago
Im not familiar with this plane, but the Airbus a320 has an auto-landing autopilot. I wonder how often that's used though.
- NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
  A Cessna 208 is definitely not in that category of aircraft; this is a small (<10 pax), single-engined turboprop.
  - zokier 4y ago
    That being said I, with no aviation experience, definitely would feel more comfortable attempting to land a Cessna than an Airbus even if it were more manual operation
- Nextgrid 4y ago
  Passenger-jet autoland systems still rely on a lot of prior configuration such as dialing in ILS frequencies, setting the right autopilot settings, etc.
- jaywalk 4y ago
  Most commercial airliners have the same system. It's mainly used in bad weather when the visibility is below minimums for a manual landing. CAT IIIc autoland (the highest/most advanced) is certified for zero-visibility landings.
andrewmunsell 4y ago
They landed at an airport. I think the CNN article has a bit more context: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-passenger-lands-plane/index.html https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-passenger-lands-p... > Morgan learned the passenger on the line had never flown a plane -- but had been around aviation and seen other pilots fly. If they've been around planes like this before, I don't think it'd be that difficult to land in one piece with guidance (and the ATC seemed to be a CFI as well). But what do I know, I'm still working on my PPL. Hopefully the passenger got his logbook signed for his first solo

js2 4y ago

Similar thing happened to Doug White in 2009 while in a twin-engine King Air 200. He had limited flight experience on single-engine Cessna 172s, but no flight experience on a King Air 200. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2009/april/14/unintentional-king-air-pilot-an-interview-with-doug-white https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2009/april/14/u... Simulation of the flight set to ATC recordings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqPvVxxIDr0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqPvVxxIDr0

kingcharles 4y ago
I thought they must be reposting this landing when I saw the headline! It's a great video though. I look forward to a new one from this landing in the near future.
knodi123 4y ago
If you've learned how to glance at airspeed, how to pitch for speed, and when to flare, you're 90% of the way there. Those are the hard parts you need practice for. Right? And everything else, ATC can talk you through. I mean, a King Air is going to have dual engine controls, but you only operate them both in sync. It will have manual gear, but you just need to find the control and activate it. I'm not that surprised an experienced cessna pilot could land a complex twin engine.

oh_sigh 4y ago

ATC audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA Listening to the passenger, it does sound like they have a modicum of flight experience.

the_af 4y ago
Agreed. He even understands some of the lingo. Doesn't mean he knew how to fly any airplane (or land one!) but he seems at least technically minded.

civil_engineer 4y ago

Pilot here. I'm floored that a person with no flying experience could put this airplane down without a scratch. Air traffic controllers are not necessarily pilots, but luckily, this one was a pilot and certified instructor. ATC and passenger worked through a stressful situation to produce an amazing outcome. Bravo!

enw 4y ago
> Air traffic controllers are not necessarily pilots, but luckily, this one was a pilot and certified instructor. Source? The article itself is quite short.
- ashtonbaker 4y ago
  wapo article quotes this from the liveatc recording
- the_af 4y ago
  It is mentioned (speculated about, actually) in the ATC radio chatter, see here near the 4:50 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA
throwaway0a5e 4y ago
A lot of people in aviation wind up being instructors to rack up flight hours early in their careers. An ATC, A&P mechanic, a charter pilot or any other aviation professional that would have probably had some commercial flying time earlier in their career being an instructor isn't a given but it's also not surprising at all. The fact that they were able to verbalize stuff sufficiently well for the person at the controls to do the right thing is the more impressive part.
brightball 4y ago
I heard the story on the radio this morning and they said that not only was the controller a certified instructor but he flew this specific plane so he knew how to direct him to everything on the panel! Really incredible bit of coincidence.

rvba 4y ago

More info http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2022/05/cessna-208-caravan-n333ld-incident.html?m=1 http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2022/05/cessna-208-caravan-n33...

asdfman123 4y ago

I bet this was a guy raised on video games. I was about to make a joke about it but I'm actually serious. Once I, a former Houstonian with no experience driving on ice, was driving through the snowy mountains and lost control of my car. Instead of panicking, my video-game-induced laser focus kicked in and I calmly piloted the car until the wheels gained traction and I could park the car on the side of the road. But learning how to focus in the midst of chaos, instead of panicking, is a technique I specifically had to learn in childhood to beat challenging levels of Super Mario Brothers. Thanks, video games.

rhdunn 4y ago
If they made a film of this or a similar style story, it would be interesting to do it in a slumdog millionaire style where the character picks up some things playing video games, some from a case where the nato phonetic alphabet is used, some from watching aircraft investigation shows, etc.
qwopqwopqw0p 4y ago
sandworm101 4y ago
"Moore is suspected of being responsible for approximately 100 thefts in Washington, Idaho, and Canada, including bicycles, automobiles, light aircraft, and speedboats.[15] It is believed that he learned how to fly small planes by reading aircraft manuals, handbooks, watching a "How to fly a small airplane" DVD, and playing flight simulator computer games.[17] One plane he stole was a Cessna 182, FAA registration number N24658, belonging to then KZOK-FM radio personality Bob Rivers, valued at over $150,000.[20] The plane was later recovered from a Yakama Indian Reservation crash site. Though badly damaged, it was rebuilt and is in Florida." "He became known as the "Barefoot Bandit" by reportedly committing some of his crimes barefoot, once leaving behind 39 chalk footprints and the word "c'ya!". Despite the widely reported nickname, officials said that he more often wore shoes." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/the-airplane-thief-244878/ https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/the-airpla...

wolf550e 4y ago

Some more discussion of the incident on /r/aviation https://old.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/umzwrh/passenger_with_zero_flight_experience_lands/ https://old.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/umzwrh/passenger_...

supercheetah 4y ago

Mythbusters did something like this, but it was just using one of those big commercial training simulators instead of a real plane if I recall correctly, and showed that it was possible.

tragictrash 4y ago
I would wager a small plane would be easier to land than a commercial airliner partially due to the fewer number of switches in the cockpit.
- wl 4y ago
  Commercial airliners have autoland systems. Much less common in smaller planes.
  - tragictrash 4y ago
    The supposed scenario is manual landing, don't know if that was mentioned in the op
  - Nextgrid 4y ago
    Configuring these is very difficult (for a non-pilot) and it might rely on airport-side equipment that not all airports have.
    - wl 4y ago
      Configuring an autopilot is not that difficult when someone is telling you exactly what to do. It's also more likely to have a good result vs. relying on underdeveloped stick and rudder skills. In a situation where a non-pilot is pressed into flying an airliner because of pilot incapacitation, tiny municipal airstrips without ILS aren't really an option, anyway.
- sarpeedo 4y ago
  Most modern airliners are equipped with capabilities to conduct Category IIIa ILS approaches with autoland. One would probably be able to coach a passenger through the steps necessary to get set up this kind of approach.

jaywalk 4y ago

Garmin's got a relatively new system called Autoland that is designed for this exact situation. It allows a plane to land simply by pushing one button. It will pick the nearest appropriate airport, communicate with ATC, and land the plane entirely on its own. It's pretty amazing technology: https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/garmin-autoland-this-changes-everything/ https://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article/garmin-autoland-thi...

tragictrash 4y ago
I've always said the reason we don't have flying cars yet is because people can't drive in 2D much less 3D. This gives me hope.
- KennyBlanken 4y ago
  The autopilot declares an emergency via transponder code and radio calls, which means suddenly everything else in the sky is moved out of your way for you and you're given near-exclusive use of whatever airport the autopilot picks. This does not bring us closer to "flying cars."
  - moffkalast 4y ago
    You mean like when cars turn on emergency blinkers any everything moves out of your way?
    - KennyBlanken 4y ago
      A pilot declaring an in-flight emergency gets near authority over the airspace they are in. After confirming the declaration fuel/passenger count, the next question a controller usually asks is "what are your intentions?", ie "what are you going do, so we can get everyone out of your way?" I've never heard a controller get more authoritative than politely ask the pilot if they'll consider something or are able to do something.
- tshaddox 4y ago

mmcconnell1618 4y ago

Mythbusters once went to a commercial airline simulator to test the idea that a passenger with no training could land the plane. Without ATC help, it wasn't a great outcome. With ATC, they faired much better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ8K-hOcRHk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ8K-hOcRHk

hugh-avherald 4y ago
Large aircraft are one thing, but most folks could land a light aircraft most of the time in good weather with barely any training. But most is like 80% and there's probably a 10% chance of dying or at least badly damaging the aircraft.
- pc86 4y ago
  Not nitpicking because I agree with you, but in an emergency situation like this if you can walk away from the airplane, the condition of it is irrelevant. So I think at least 85-90% of the time (in good weather with a crosswind component below 7-8kts or so) everyone would be okay. And absolutely agreed on the large aircraft part. I'm a private pilot, but no instrument cert yet, with only piston single experience - not even a high performance or complex endorsement - and I'm pretty sure if I had to land a widebody commercial airliner the only difference between me and someone with no experience is I'd sound better on the radio. I think the end result would probably be the same.
  - Nextgrid 4y ago
    I think the first obstacle for a layman to land a plane is to not panic and figure out how to work the radio (without pressing the wrong thing and accidentally shutting down the engines or something equally disastrous) so they can then follow the instructions calmly. I’d expect most people that would fail would fail at this stage - if they can get past that, their odds improve a lot.
    - dlisboa 4y ago
      That's exactly right. This pilot on YouTube did this test with a layperson and the main issue was getting comms up. It took like 20 minutes if I remember correctly, but after that the landing itself went alright. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw6mjVIdbbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw6mjVIdbbc

jmkni 4y ago

Stupid question, but could this guy end up in some sort of legal trouble? He's obviously a hero and saved the lives of everyone on board, but it's still illegal to fly a plane while unqualified, right?

djohnston 4y ago
Definitely not illegal in an emergency situation like this.
- bendbro 4y ago
  Source: just trust me bro. It better be legal, or the FAA better not prosecute.
nkozyra 4y ago
> He's obviously a hero and saved the lives of everyone on board, but it's still illegal to fly a plane while unqualified, right? What, uh, is the alternative?
schmookeeg 4y ago
While I think even the colossally tone-deaf FAA wouldn't try to prosecute this guy under these circumstances, there's an odd gray area here, where a certificated pilot can deviate from any regulation to meet the need of an emergency [1] -- so I think a twist of logic would allow a non-pilot to be allowed to deviate from the "must have a pilot certificate" rules to meet his emergency the same way while acting as pilot-in-command of this plane. Not a lawyer, am a flight instructor, I think 91.3 is how this non-pilot gets to use pilot regs to get out of pilot jail :) [1] https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/91.3 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/91.3
- moduspol 4y ago
  One might argue that if he's specifically following the direct instructions of the ATC, who is a licensed pilot in this case, that the ATC is "the pilot," and his allowing of a non-pilot to push the buttons on his behalf was a necessary deviation to handle the emergency and land the plane.

edm0nd 4y ago

Really interesting. Also a throwback to the infamous "barefoot bandit" who learned how to fly a plane by: "It is believed that he learned how to fly small planes by reading aircraft manuals, handbooks, watching a "How to fly a small airplane" DVD, and playing flight simulator computer games." He stole and flew a Cessna 400 and a Cessna 182. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colton_Harris_Moore

bombcar 4y ago

My very first flight with a CFI had me do everything but the radio - the landing is perhaps the hardest part but if you have someone to talk you through it, and you can get vectored to the longest possible runway around, it's not that hard (you can basically fly level above the runway and slowly bring back power, which will eventually touch down).

NelsonMinar 4y ago

Video of the landing, it's very nicely done. https://twitter.com/aviationbrk/status/1524410837414391809 https://twitter.com/aviationbrk/status/1524410837414391809

rootusrootus 4y ago
And that's not a little 172, that's a bit bigger! Nicely done indeed. I think the guy deserves an honorary set of wings for that.
jessriedel 4y ago
MP3 recording of the full conversation with air-traffic control: https://archive.liveatc.net/ht/kpbi-kfpr.mp3 https://archive.liveatc.net/ht/kpbi-kfpr.mp3 Sadly, the landing instructions were given by cell phone and apparently weren't recorded.
avemg 4y ago
I've made worse landings with a CFI sitting next to me in the cockpit when I was starting out. Landed a bit long but otherwise looked like a soft touchdown and a straight roll. Very impressive!
- kloch 4y ago
  You see worse landings every year at Oshkosh. A little hard and nose-first but at least he kept it on the ground and didn't bounce-bounce-crash.
dredmorbius 4y ago
https://nitter.kavin.rocks/aviationbrk/status/1524410837414391809 https://nitter.kavin.rocks/aviationbrk/status/15244108374143...
aasasd 4y ago
To my noob eye, it seems that the person did absolutely no pitching to shave off the speed. That's the hard part, in my very limited experience with simulators. Dunno if this plane does usually need pitching, but I guess they were very lucky to have enough of the runway.

belter 4y ago

For when the call comes... "How YOU can land a passenger aircraft! 12 steps" https://youtu.be/ePDl1JNqjpM https://youtu.be/ePDl1JNqjpM

teeray 4y ago

I hope the passenger at least got a logbook with an entry for his surprise discovery flight

theiasson 4y ago

Reminds of this episode of QI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzRhDyyOlcM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzRhDyyOlcM

BXLE_1-1-BitIs1 4y ago

Looking at the ATC transcript, the passenger couldn't figure out the transponder, change frequencies or give out his cell phone number. At least he was able to get the microphone working. Likely he eventually picked up the phone number ATC gave him and they took it from there. The video shows ATC got him to a really long runway, a good portion of which he overflew. No flare on the landing, but the Caravan is a tough bird, the descent rate was gentle and the attitude was just right. An excellent landing is where you can use the airplane again (without repairs).

theonething 4y ago
> the attitude was just right attitude or altitude? I imagine both would be correct. :)
- wolf550e 4y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attitude_control https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attitude_control
- recursive 4y ago
  I suspect altitude, attitude (aviation), and attitude (mental) were all three correct. :)
digitallyfree 4y ago
From the transcript it looked like the passenger had a lot of trouble giving out his phone number as well as getting the phone number from ATC. I wonder if it would make more sense for him to dial 911 on his cell phone instead given the emergency situation and have dispatch deal with routing him to the necessary help.

irrational 4y ago

Apparently there were 2 passengers. I wonder if one of the passengers video chatted with the air traffic controller so they could see what the person in the pilot’s seat was doing?

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

bendbro 4y ago

outworlder 4y ago
> As a NTSB FAA CFI, MD, Esq, I doubt you are any of those if that's what you have to say.
- bendbro 4y ago

tptacek 4y ago

The CNN article has audio. I can't believe how calm the passenger is. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-passenger-lands-plane/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/florida-passenger-lan...

ctvo 4y ago

This is a side of Florida Man we rarely hear about.

backtoyoujim 4y ago

The passenger was given the "first lesson is free" discount.

Maursault 4y ago

I grew up in Florida. It would take all my fingers and toes and more to count the number of times I have seen articles or even witnessed personally from the beach a pilot of a small craft either die naturally at the controls or have some medical event that causes a crash and death. Why are small planes necessary? Am I wrong to believe what it seems like, that the overwhelmingly popular purpose is entertainment? Is anyone else sick of being lead poisoned? I am all for scrutinizing and restricting the driver's licenses of the elderly or those with severe medical issues that will inevitably lead to an accident. This goes doubly so for pilots. I know there's a lot young pilots. I take no issue with you. But it seems like most pilots and owners of small planes are over retirement age. It is the entitlement that gets under my skin, the entitlement to poison everyone on the ground with lead as well as put innocent bystanders in danger. Why do we allow this? There are severe problems with conservative ideals, and mainly it has to do with entitlement, a telltale symptom of mental illness, namely, narcissism. Fuck narcissists.

postalrat 4y ago
What do you think of all the people young drivers kill? Should people be prevented from driving they are a bit more responsible? Maybe around 30 years.
- Maursault 4y ago
  Poor judgement is not the same as incapacity. We have a framework to deal with poor judgement. What we also need is a framework to deal with incapacity.
  - ledauphin 4y ago
    we do - they're called Aviation Medical Examiners. The pilot operating this flight would have had, at minimum, a 2nd class medical, which has to be renewed every 12 months.
    - Maursault 4y ago
      > which has to be renewed every 12 months. That is simply insufficient. Introduce age to the standard and increase frequency of examinations with increasing age. And let's strongly discourage pilots over a certain age where reaction time, eye-sight and cognition is known to become more deficient. Yes, definitely let's discourage and restrict old people from operating dangerous machinery, no matter how rich and entitled and personally insulted they may be.

WalterBright 4y ago

My dad (Air Force) said that sometimes a mechanic would decide he knew how to fly, and would take off in a military plane (this was long ago). They'd fly around a bit, and then realize they have no idea how to land. They'd get on the radio, and the tower would talk them down. Meet the mechanic on the runway, and escort him off to prison.

zokier 4y ago
Variation of this story? https://fighterjetsworld.com/weekly-article/holdens-lightning-flight-the-story-engineer-who-accidentally-took-off-in-a-fighter-jet/26154/ https://fighterjetsworld.com/weekly-article/holdens-lightnin...
- WalterBright 4y ago
  That story was about an accident. My dad's story was about a deliberate act, and it put the mechanic in prison.

whimsicalism 4y ago

Listening to the audio of the conversation, it doesn't seem like the passenger has no flying experience... At minimum they must have spent significant time around aviation or be ex-military. e: From another comment on Reddit > Examples: > The passenger knew what button to press on the yoke to transmit to ATC. > The passenger knew aviation phraseology and phonetics “333 Lima Delta”. > The passenger knew where the altimeter was and his altitude “I’m maintaining 9100 feet” > Passenger was able to identify the transponder and enter a squawk code. > Passenger knew what the vertical speed indicator was “I’m descending right now at 550 feet a minute passing 8640 feet”. > My wife, who flies with me regularly, might get one or two of those items, but probably couldn't point out the transponder, much less enter a squawk code without instructions.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

zendaven 4y ago

Did the passenger have to move the pilot out of his seat? Or is the plane designed so that the passenger can also pilot in scenarios like this?

piperswe 4y ago
Typically all the controls are accessible in both front seats - there's a yoke for each seat and the main controls are near the center console

erex78 4y ago

ATC audio of the event: https://archive.liveatc.net/ht/kpbi-kfpr.mp3 https://archive.liveatc.net/ht/kpbi-kfpr.mp3

alaricus 4y ago

Reminds me of this classic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airplane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airplane! Where's Leslie Nielsen when you want him?

ts4z 4y ago
I just want to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you.

causi 4y ago

Sort of begs the question, why don't commercial airliners have remote-fly capabilities? Hook it through a hardware interlock and keep one pilot on call somewhere in the country at all times.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
hindsightbias 4y ago
The FAA and industry are researching this as an option for future a/c due to pilot shortages. A ground-based pilot would assist multiple a/c pilots on various tasks and planning and would be able to take over in an emergency.

ggcdn 4y ago

its every bored daydreaming passenger's dream come true!

cfield 4y ago

The landing was beautifully smooth — an impressive feat by any measure. The best video of it I've seen so far is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2fQkJGbRcA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2fQkJGbRcA Another perspective is at 1:24 of this video: https://youtu.be/k1n85oiLqUc?t=84 https://youtu.be/k1n85oiLqUc?t=84

nilayj 4y ago

Why did this plane not have a copilot? Usually there are 2 people flying a plane?

mb7733 4y ago
This wasn't an airliner.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

robofanatic 4y ago

We need self landing planes

spacemanmatt 4y ago

Bucket list material, if you ask me, but no one ever does and I can't figure out why!!

bangalore 4y ago

Surely you can't be serious.

AiFoGhost 4y ago

Absolutely incredible. What a nightmare. But also, haven't we all daydreamed of handling a moment like this gracefully?

alkonaut 4y ago

I picture this scenario every time I land that stupid Cessna in ms flight simulator. It’s not going to happen, at least not until I follow someone up in an actual Cessna. But I’m not too worried about the landing by now at least.

georgecmu 4y ago

A reconstruction of the flight with the full comms recording and a partial transcription: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euHZI0f2fBU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euHZI0f2fBU

kmstout 4y ago

"When did you learn how to fly?" "I didn't, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."

mostertoaster 4y ago

This is just awesome.

mc4ndr3 4y ago

Where was the copilot?

qiskit 4y ago

Question. How feasible would it to have an automated landing system for airplanes. So that in case the pilot is incapicitated, you could flip a switch and have the plane land itself.

mrbonner 4y ago

So, if I spent 1000+ hours playing Falcon 4 and IL2-Sturmovik, would they classify me as "no idea how to fly"? I mean I have never control a plane in real-life but I wouldn't have much difficulty following flight instruction from ATC guy verbatim, right?

banga 4y ago

At first I was impressed. Now I wonder if this was another "influencer" stunt. Sad that such a view even comes to the fore.

modinfo 4y ago

Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) once flew a plane too after the pilot fainted in 2001 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/mr-bean-flies-plane-over-kenya-after-pilot-faints/article4145607/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/mr-bean-flies-pla...

leemailll 4y ago

ATC communication recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MDwzNtDMlA

Biologist123 4y ago

I really hope this doesn’t give EasyJet any cost-cutting ideas.

smm11 4y ago

BS "no idea how to fly."

privatdozent 4y ago

Mythbusters tried this (in a simulator) and both succeeded as long as the ATC was there to give instructions

eklavyaa 4y ago

Hope everyone is safe.On lighter note, This has been my fantasy, to land a plane. PS: I am not a pilot, but never missed single episode of Discovery "Wings" as a Kid.

xony 4y ago