At least one pilot calls the recent Mythbusters episode on civilians landing jetliners bunk. Having taken the controls of a real airplane exactly once, I guess I'll have to defer to his judgment. I definitely see lack of familiarity with an airliner's cockpit as the primary difficulty in pulling something like that off. It is, however, a bit disappointing to think all those hours of learning what a correct approach looks like from a cockpit, and how to control it with a stick and a throttle, aren't very useful in the real world. Ah well, I guess that's why they still have flight schools, eh?
Hardly surprising. Pilots would have you believe that flying an aircraft is this terrifyingly difficult thing that only the Sacred Priesthood Of Pilots can ever be permitted to do. This is why the Air Force is horrified that the Army plans to let--gasp--NON-PILOTS operate UAV. Why, you might give people the idea that those silly computer things could fly planes, and that we don't NEED guys sitting up front to push all the buttons! Where would that leave all our pilots?
Screw the Air Force.
Posted by: DensityDuck on December 30, 2007 12:41 AM