# Could a highly experienced small aircraft pilot successfully be talked through the landing of an airliner, as in "Zero Hour! " and "Airplane!"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 8, 2025, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679 "2025-11-08T04:00:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2025, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/61 "2025-11-16T23:41:35Z")
Somewhat related question: Let’s say ATC does get the radio call, _“Hey Tower, I’m a passenger. All flight crew are incapacitated. I’ve flown Cessnas and Pipers but never a jet. How do I get this Boeing 777 onto the ground safely? We’re at 35,000 feet over Kansas right now”_ - how fast could ATC summon an airline pilot from the airport terminals (preferably a Boeing 777 pilot in this hypothetical) - and say “Hey, you know the systems, buttons, displays, what each handle and knob does, now talk this guy down to a landing?” Assuming they send the PA announcement in the terminals (no need for “Lester Mainwaring” codetalk), would they get a qualified pilot in the control tower within, say, 15 minutes? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/62 "2025-11-17T01:17:12Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But you also need no vertical obstructions for the full 100+ foot width. Any urban / suburban road will have streetlight poles along one or both edges. A rural road may not have that, but it’ll probably have a powerline running along one side or another. Either way, you can’t just point the nose of the aircraft at the middle of the road. What about the median guards, either metal guardrails or Jersey barriers? Seems they would foil any attempt to land on a limited access highway. Even the rural highways that don’t have guardrails have a grass strip down the miggle. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/63 "2025-11-17T01:28:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Which also leads me to suspect the validity of claims that any other given nation has done so. Define “has done so.” ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/64 "2025-11-17T01:41:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You sometimes see the rumor that this was a design goal behind the US Interstate Highway System, too, but I don’t think there’s any actual basis for this. > > Which also leads me to suspect the validity of claims that any other given nation has done so. **[According to Wikipedia,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_runway)** > Countries which have built road runways include both West and East Germany, Singapore, North Korea, Taiwan, Sweden, Finland, Bulgaria, Switzerland (military significance), Poland, India, Pakistan, and Czechoslovakia. Some of the ones in Germany even appear to have taxiways, making some sections of the highways look like airports! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/65 "2025-11-17T02:01:24Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > What about the median guards, either metal guardrails or Jersey barriers? Seems they would foil any attempt to land on a limited access highway. For an airliner-sized airplane the wings are high enough off the ground they’d clear typical median barriers & outside guardrails. Underwing engines even on the tallest airliners would probably be a problem. If you end up where your engines are near those obstacles My POV on landing on a freeway is you’d pick one direction or the other, not try to straddle the inner shoulders and median barrier. In all, IMO it’s almost certainly not going to end well, but maybe better than the other available alternatives. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/66 "2025-11-17T04:36:00Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > What about the median guards, either metal guardrails or Jersey barriers? Seems they would foil any attempt to land on a limited access highway. Even the rural highways that don’t have guardrails have a grass strip down the miggle. There’s a fantastic picture of the “Gimli Glider”, a 767 that ran out of fuel and lost power halfway across Canada. They landed with no power assist on an old air force runway that had been converted to a drag race strip. Despite having to almost stand on the pedals to maneuver without power, they set down so exact and well that when they slowed down enough that the nosewheel went down it was torn off by the center guardrails and split those guardrails perfectly like slicing a banana. Came to a stop with the nose laying on the guardrails. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/67 "2025-11-17T10:25:07Z")
Guess I picked the wrong week to quit smoking. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/68 "2025-11-17T11:36:41Z")
> [@whc.03grady](#): > > I mean taking into account how well/poorly he’d been flying it until purposely crashing it. For those that don’t know: Russell did execute a barrel roll (impressing the jet fighter pilot keeping tabs on him). I think Czarcasm’s answer is still correct, but Russell’s chances of landing (had he decided to try) were surely higher than the average person’s. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RF3ftaTqHjE/maxresdefault.jpg "Witness video shows stolen Sea-Tac plane attempt barrel roll") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF3ftaTqHjE) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/69 "2025-11-17T13:12:40Z")
Further on this … I just saw some highway surveillance camera footage of a low wing lightplane making a forced landing on a freeway. From left to right: Jersey barrier, very narrow shoulder, 3 traffic lanes, normal width breakdown lane, then grass. With a tall street light stanchion just a couple feet into that grass. They successfully touched down very close to the middle of the center lane after passing alongside the light stanchion below the overhanging part. Good job! But during the decel they veered into clipping the left wingtip on the jersey barrier & spun to a stop with major damage to the airplane. So 3 lanes and a shoulder just barely contains a light airplane if everything is done perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/70 "2025-11-17T17:45:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You sometimes see the rumor that this was a design goal behind the US Interstate Highway System, too, but I don’t think there’s any actual basis for this. > > Which also leads me to suspect the validity of claims that any other given nation has done so. It was not a design goal, but there are stretches of highways deemed suitable for some military aircraft to use as runways if necessary. In 2021, the USAF conducted a training exercise using a section of a state highway in Michigan to operate A-10s. There is a cool YT video about it: [https://youtu.be/LGzXOEPcNgg?si=nIrIeZFqR89SSpsf](https://youtu.be/LGzXOEPcNgg?si=nIrIeZFqR89SSpsf) As stated by others, some countries have definitely designed parts of their highway networks specifically for military aircraft usage. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/71 "2025-11-17T17:56:05Z")
The real problem with the “highway as makeshift runway” is that an airplane that lands there during hostilities is useless until / unless you can refuel it and rearm it. And if necessary repair it. All while your main base is under some level of attack and has suffered some level of damage. It’s the total opposite of economy of scale. Each site needs munitions storage and handling equipment, needs fuel storage and handling equipment, needs a place for ground crew to work from and a ground crew to do that work. And a way for the aircrew to get planning info about their next mission. Etc. And all of that needs to be defended from theft in peacetime and enemy troops or saboteurs in wartime. Given the post WW-II geostrategic realities, a war fought on US soil never passed the laugh test. So designing the US interstate highway system with airfield-compatible sections didn’t / doesn’t either. Other countries have different geostrategic situations. A war fought on e.g. Swedish territory is quite plausible. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/72 "2025-11-17T20:04:51Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > As stated by others, some countries have definitely designed parts of their highway networks specifically for military aircraft usage. Australia has sections available for use by the Royal Flying Doctor Service. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54930645013_6455662d26_z.jpg "2023-05-22") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/200199460@N02/54930645013/) [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54930746980_28a1268880_z.jpg "2023-05-22 (1)") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/200199460@N02/54930746980/) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/73 "2025-11-17T23:14:07Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > Define “has done so.” “Has deliberately designed car roadways so that they can double as runways in an emergency”. But meanwhile, others have provided satisfactory cites that some nations have, in fact, done this. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679/74 "2025-11-17T23:18:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But meanwhile, others have provided satisfactory cites that some nations have, in fact, done this. As did my post unless Reuters isn’t wasn’t credible enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-highly-experienced-small-aircraft-pilot-successfully-be-talked-through-the-landing-of-an-airliner-as-in-zero-hour-and-airplane/1024679.md?page=3)