How difficult is it to bring an aircraft safely down without training?
10/9/2013 5:30:16 PM
A passenger managed to land a plane after its pilot fell ill. How difficult is it to bring an aircraft safely down without training?
It's the stuff of disaster films - to be left on board a plane mid-flight, without anyone to fly it. A passenger who found himself in this predicament after the pilot collapsed has been praised for taking over in the cockpit of a light plane flying over Lincolnshire.
The passenger was able to land at Humberside Airport on the fourth attempt, with the help of two instructors who talked through the process. The pilot later died.
"I felt for the instructors because I could put myself in their position," says Graham Stables, an instructor from North London Flying School.
Usually having some sort of rudimentary flying experience is key, suggests Stables.
Landing an aeroplane would be very hard for a complete novice, he says. Normally, a learner pilot would spend at least 20 hours before attempting to fly solo, and even then, the first time a student goes out alone is nerve-racking for the teacher.
It's the stuff of disaster films - to be left on board a plane mid-flight, without anyone to fly it. A passenger who found himself in this predicament after the pilot collapsed has been praised for taking over in the cockpit of a light plane flying over Lincolnshire.
The passenger was able to land at Humberside Airport on the fourth attempt, with the help of two instructors who talked through the process. The pilot later died.
"I felt for the instructors because I could put myself in their position," says Graham Stables, an instructor from North London Flying School.
Usually having some sort of rudimentary flying experience is key, suggests Stables.
Landing an aeroplane would be very hard for a complete novice, he says. Normally, a learner pilot would spend at least 20 hours before attempting to fly solo, and even then, the first time a student goes out alone is nerve-racking for the teacher.