Comments on: Episode 94: Air Plane Hour

By: Kirk

Kirk — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:17:58 +0000

I wonder what the result would have been with no help if they had played some MS Flight sim. I remember they had trouble finding critical insterments such as altitude and airspeed and when they did find them they had trouble finding the flaps and the landing gear. Someone who has played Microsoft flight sim would know where those things are already.

I’m not saying MS flight sim can make you into an ace pilot, but it would give you a basic idea of where the controls are and how to operate them which might make it possible for a person to land the plane without radio help.

By: John Smith

John Smith — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:24:14 +0000

Timmsy is correct. Deceleration to 18 miles per hour from whatever speed of freefall is in well under a second results in 4G being pulled. Someone who weighed 150 pounds at 1G would weigh 600 pounds in this instance.

By: Stuart McGuinness

Stuart McGuinness — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 20:39:42 +0000

This is absolutely true. It happened in England, and the pilot was the father of his passenger’s girlfriend. The guy knew enough to key the radio and Air Traffic Control cleared his frequency and talked with him. An instructor pilot was nearby and flew alongside the novice, teaching him level flight, turning, descending. He flew alongside the guy right to the deck giving moment by moment instructions. After a safe landing the hero just flew home without stopping for any praise or acknowledgment whatsoever.

By: unknown

unknown — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 20:36:55 +0000

I saw a vid on youtube where a passenger/civilian landed a plane after pilot died of heart attack.

By: Poopscicle

Poopscicle — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:46:20 +0000

Has anyone not, just once, thought “Hey, these two people, who JUST happen to have 30 years of expirience, actually KNOW what they’re doing.”
I seriously doubt anyone else has had 30 years of expirience plus.
Thusly, these are mostly opinions, as this is.

By: Bertie the Bunyip

Bertie the Bunyip — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:03:30 +0000

The aircraft sim use in the myth was an Airbus A320. I fact, it’s not actually possible to fly this airplane manually since it’s controlled by computers. the side stick, joystick controller is little more than an autopilot controller and some of the more complex handling duties involved in hand flying an airplane are looked after by the computers, vastly simplifying ‘manual’ flying.
With the autoflight systems on virtually any modern airliner with autoland capability engaged. Almost anyone who can calmly follow directions can get one on the ground unscathed. hand flying something like a Boeing 737 or similar would be signifcantly more difficult than an A320 being ‘manually’ flown. However, a light aircraft pilot would stand a substantially better chance of doing so than someone with zero time, especially with the aid of someone on the ground helping out.

By: C.J. Gallagher

C.J. Gallagher — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:59:53 +0000

In the interest of full disclosure, I have nearly 1000 skydives. (Only 2 malfunctions due to equipment, 1 injury malfunction due to stupidity). That said, in the movie, Keanu Reeves not only catches up after 15 seconds, but docks. This technicality is important because to pull it off, the approaching skydiver must perform a flare to make a dock without killing himself, the other skydiver or most likely, both. A flare to dock in freefall is an energy management maneuver that would have burned time and altitude in its performance. Reeves’s streamline body position would have to convert to the flat stable position prior to dock with enough time and altitude to slow, and steer to closure with the other skydiver. All skydivers have to learn this skill and it is not easy. In the movie, Keanu Reeves as portrayed has never skydived. To develop this skill takes many skydives. To be good at it can take more than 100 jumps. An exceptional student skydiver may get the hang of it after 50 jumps if gifted. In this Mythbuster episode, the approching skydiver could only buzz past. I would like to see this done with a dock, wave off, track and opening by 2,000 ft. as is standard proceedure. By the way, normal exit altitude is 13,500 ft. In this episode, the exit was 15,000 ft. I think this can be done but in the interest of safety, it should be planned, filmed and excueted by skilled skydivers only. My highest jump is 18,000 ft. I think it would take at least that to pull this off safely.

By: Tiexandrea

Tiexandrea — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:59:33 +0000

@ caleb – i think there was even one movie i remember, whose title i never saw, where the person who was talked into landing the plane was a teenage girl. but lol, she wasn’t actually talked into landing the plane, i think she was simply talked into activating auto pilot.

i think this episode was very informative to say the least. this episode taught us that, if the very very very very unlikely chance comes that you have to get talked into landing the plane:

- stay calm
- ask for someone that knows the exact model of the plane you’re flying
- ask for directions on how to activate landing autopilot
- if for some reason that’s not possible, get a run through on how to stabilize the plane
- while holding the plane stable, get a runthrough of every button location and every screen that’s essential to landing the plane.
- one question needs one answer
- no unnecessary words
- need-to-know info only
- ultimately, the final moments of the landing is still on your hands, so be ready for it

By: megan and sada

megan and sada — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:29:16 +0000

how much chocolate and water will it take?

By: caleb

caleb — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:36:19 +0000

The film you based this myth on was air plane. I’ve seen this film and the passenger who flew the plane WAS an experienced pilot.