Is There A Pilot In The House?

Not a question you want to hear during your flight.

"A passenger was forced to crash land a private plane Thursday after the pilot suffered an apparent heart attack, authorities said.

"The pilot later died. The two passengers were taken to University Medical Center in Las Vegas after the crash at North Las Vegas Airport, said Donn Walker, regional spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration."

GET THE STORY.

It’s stories like this that make me realize that I have been on only two airline trips in my life (both times were pre-9/11); and while I’m not exactly opposed to flying, I am also not exactly eager to book passage for the sometimes-unfriendly skies.

7 thoughts on “Is There A Pilot In The House?”

  1. Remember, though, that this was a private plane. Commercial aircraft carry at least two pilots, and the bigger ones can land themselves, if need be.
    Gary

  2. Ummm. I don’t get it. If a driver has heart attack while driving his personal car, and a passenger in the car steers it off the road, avoiding serious injuries, would that make one nervous about booking a commercial bus trip on the unfriendly roads?
    As a GOLD flyer on TWO major airlines, with frequent cross-country drives under my belt, I can say that I am NEVER safer than when I’m on a commercial flight in US.
    I understand “fear of flying” of course. In the way I undertand other great phobias built on a shred of truth. And I understand logic has nothing to do with it.

  3. I would only check to see if your airplane is made out of toothpicks. If not, I think it would be a safe bet. 🙂

  4. I am a pilot (captain) for Delta, and I can tell you that you are many, many more times safer in a commercial airliner than in the car you drive to get to the airport. It is an FAA requirement that we have at least two pilots in every cockpit (both of whom are fully-qualified to fly the airplane, and, in fact, alternate flying each leg of every trip).
    Additionally, as captain, I am required to pass a First Class FAA Physical Exam every six months. First Officers (co-pilots) need only a First Class exam every year, unless rated on the airplane (trans-oceanic), in which case they must also pass a First Class FAA Physical every six months.
    Gary, I know that it is a common assumption that these airplanes can land themselves, but they cannot do so without direct, timely pilot inputs to the flight management system computers. To use a very imperfect analogy, you cannot simply get in a car and expect it to accelerate to a speed of, let’s say, 65 MPH, and stay at that speed (cruise control) for a specific amount of time, then decelerate to 55 MPH when entering a different speed limit zone without directly making the appropriate “button pushes” on the steering column. In the airplane, the pilot flying is executing a carefully orchestrated series of “button pushes” and other indirect inputs to the flight management system as the Air Traffic Controller issues instructions. The lateral navigation, vertical navigation, and speed control are all completely separate automation modes. And finally, configuration changes (flaps, slats, landing gear) are completely non-automated, requiring direct input by the human pilots. So, in the best scenario, when both pilots are completely incapacitated, if the FMS (Flight Management System) was completely programmed from the very beginning of the flight (highly unlikely), including the Instrument Approach for the correct runway, the airplane would likely stall (lose necessary lift) when the aircraft slowed to approach speed, and the subsequent and ultimate result would be the loss of the airplane and all aboard. Sorry… your life depends on at least one of us alive and functioning normally!
    Jeff

  5. Microsoft beefs up push to small businesses

    Reuters – Microsoft Corp. unveiled a new rebate and free service offer for its small business accounting software on Monday, aimed at luring customers away from rival Intuit Inc…

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