# How many people to land a plane? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2010, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-to-land-a-plane/543410 "2010-06-16T11:53:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-to-land-a-plane/543410/41 "2010-06-17T10:38:26Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > You are assuming that > > 1. The aircraft in question had an operable Cat III system > 2. It would be practical to divert to a similarly equipped airport (this will not always be the case due to factors like weather and fuel) > 3. An untrained person would have the ability to use said Cat III system. That’s true, but if there was an emergency like we’re discussing in this thread, and the people involved thought an autoland was the safest option, I don’t think anyone would say “sorry, but you’re scheduled to go to a non-Cat III airport.” > [@](#): > > It’s not like you can call ATC and say “help me program this Cat III landing” - ATC does not fly airplanes, they aren’t trained in airplane systems (well, most of them aren’t - there are a few air traffic controllers that are also pilots, but they’re rare and there’s no guarantee you’ll have one available in such a situation, or that he’d be be at all familiar with the particular aircraft you’re flying), and the best they could do is ask around to see if any pilots that ARE trained/competent in that particular aircraft and system just happen to be listening in and could maybe help you. Maybe. Those magic autoland systems require more than a single button-push to get them to work, you know. Somewhere in the FARs (and I don’t remember exactly where at this point) was something like “in an emergency, you may deviate from the regulations to the extent necessary to meet the emergency.” ATC doesn’t know how to program a Cat III landing, but I think they’d put out a call to find someone who did. “Get me Rex Kramer.” > [@](#): > > Again, you’re assuming they have enough fuel to get there…(and that’s just for starters) > > Even if they did - you can still bollix a landing on flat, dry ground in a spectacular manner. Sure, it’s an idea and I could envision a circumstance where that’s your best chance at survival but hey, don’t get the idea survival would be guaranteed. Hell, plenty of _professional_ pilots have died on those salt flats due to unforeseen problems! Yeah, but if there’s a choice between “land at the correct speed and approach angle on a skinny piece of asphalt” and “land at the correct speed and approach angle on a big-ass dry lakebed”, I think the latter merits some consideration. It’s just an interesting idea, I guess. It’s been done so many times in the movies, I just wonder how people would attack the problem in real life. It almost happened with Flight 93; I read somewhere that there was a private pilot among the passengers who would have tried to land if they’d retaken control. That plane took off with enough fuel to fly cross-country (the maneuvering would have burned some, especially at low altitude), so they might have been able to get to Edwards. Would ATC keep them up there for hours (getting a feel for the plane, and lowering the landing weight) or want him on the ground as soon as possible? Would there be better emergency facilities at a military or civilian airport? I’m not anxious for this to ever happen, but I’m curious what decisions would be made in dealing with it. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@Captain\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-to-land-a-plane/543410/42 "2010-06-17T12:38:09Z")
A commercial aircraft can be flown by one person. The second person is basically insurance in case one of the pilots fell ill. Seems rather odd that the healthy pilot had to ask if anyone could help him. He should of been able to fly the craft alone. My father was an airline pilot, so I know. One thing he says is that the pilot and the co-pilot were not allowed to eat the same meal in the flight. Either have the chicken or the fish. This keeps both pilots from getting ill. Even though the flight attendent has a pilot license, she doesn’t have a rating for that particular aircraft (if the plane is above a certain weight, it requires the pilot to be tested on that aircraft and receive a rating. My father for example is rated on the DC-9 and DC-3. He can fly other aircraft like 737’s for example, however if he wanted to fly those planes, he must be trained on it and get a rating for that aircraft.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-to-land-a-plane/543410/43 "2010-06-17T13:32:51Z")
[_The Copilot_](http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiCOPILOT;ttVILDINAH.html) (or, _The Copilot’s Lament_). ---
**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:** [June 17, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-to-land-a-plane/543410/44 "2010-06-17T14:17:11Z")
> [@Captain\_Midnight](#): > > A commercial aircraft can be flown by one person. The second person is basically insurance in case one of the pilots fell ill. Seems rather odd that the healthy pilot had to ask if anyone could help him. He should of been able to fly the craft alone. The second person isn’t insurance in case the other one falls ill, they are insurance against the other person making mistakes and they also lighten the workload. I don’t find it particularly odd that this pilot asked for assistance. Having someone read a checklist for you and operate radios is very handy, it leaves space in the pilot’s head to be able to think about more than just flying the aeroplane. It’s a bit like getting a 10% pay rise when all of your current pay is going to necessities, it may not be a lot of money but it is _all_ disposable income. Likewise when a large portion of your brain is being used operating an aeroplane, having someone take care of just one or two things can make a huge difference to your ability to think ahead. The pilot could have flown it on his own, but a good pilot makes the most use of everything available to him or her to achieve the safest outcome. By the way, in our company we may eat the same meal, but if we do so we have to have at least 30 minutes between each pilot eating their meal. It gives us a chance to see if the fish is ok or not. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-to-land-a-plane/543410/45 "2010-06-17T16:31:06Z")
What’s all this about actual meals being served on airline flights? Wait, I seem to remember some mention in a history book … > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Actually, in a case like that, I’ve always wondered if they could re-direct the plane to the dry lake at Edwards Air Force Base. There’s oodles of room in every direction, as long as you come down wheels-first. In the movies, some ATC supervisor always wants to vector the airplane out over the ocean so nobody on the ground will get killed when the plane crashes. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-to-land-a-plane/543410/46 "2010-06-17T22:36:09Z")
> [@Av8trix](#): > > Of course, since simulator instructor pilots are the sadistic spawn of the devil, carrying out His work I heard one pilot (Westjet) refer to Cat-D simulators as “death traps” since they are so unforgiving, and training sessions basically expect pilots to be perfect. They are awesome toys though - I’ve had the opportunity to try a Boeing 777, CRJ-200 and a Citation X (I think…I always forget which bizjet that one was) and had a lot of fun, but I was far from in control. I did manage to land the 777, with someone telling me what to do. I crashed the CRJ-200 more than once but luckily ended up next to the Bombardier plant at the Montreal airport, making it easy for the accident investigators, I suppose, and I deliberately flew the bizjet into the Thames. Great video games. As soon as I save up $15 million, I’ll buy myself one… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-to-land-a-plane/543410.md?page=2)