Testing If Passengers Can Land an Airliner Without a Pilot

Emergency Landing | Both pilots have fallen unwell and become incapacitated, in this case, can one of the passengers pilot the Airbus A320 down to the ground in this emergency landing situation?
Thank you to the Manchester Flight Sim Centre for letting us use their A320 sim for this video
manchesterflightsim.com/
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[@wilfridvoynich3052]

This is every phone call with my mother explaining how to print an email.

[@BigGuy10Points]

Amen

[@PitWChannel]

"What is on the screen now?" - "Oh, there is this lovely vase with the dried rose you once gifted me standing on it!"

[@EIH4009]

Absolutely hilarious 😂 well done 😂😂😂😂

[@jorgenoorts7609]

hahahaha hilarious!

[@GaZonk100]

lol

[@ThatGuyyyyyyy]

Dude in the glasses should never be allowed on a plane, just in case someone’s needed to land it..😂😂

[@jarateman6427]

Or anywhere else where he has to follow directions.....

[@ytkingsniper7279]

So true

[@dirkgibbens377]

Agreed!! Too much focus on “alpha” “papa” “confirmed” “affirmative” “negative” and not enough attention on actually following directions. Couldnt believe he started adjusting descent rate instead of adjusting altitude, RIGHT BELIW THE FREAKIN’ ALTITUDE READOUT!! LMAO 🤣🤣🤣

[@Elparquito]

...any landing you can walk away from his a good landing. Or, so I've been told.

[@paulis7319]

He's "fully retar-ded."

[@fluffyfirehydrant]

henry struggling to understand how headings wrap back to 0 after 359 😂

[@user-wi8nc9wo3x]

He must be a flat earther

[@stuartsandford9927]

@@user-wi8nc9wo3x Nope, just your typical yank

[@Bork0r]

To be fair, there are a million things in a cockpit and its not clear that he knew what button he was using. Also, I think most passengers would not know how plane navigation works. Give him a break.

[@gavinwilkinson3722]

Think he's an American.

[@yomama629]

@@gavinwilkinson3722 and?

[@user-ky9vt2ov6w]

Every flight sim nerd gonna be laughing at this 😂

[@olekjaglowski]

Year for sure 😂

[@Imsobling]

Damn right lol

[@gamingcitypower5869]

Fr lmao 😂

[@minecraftc5006]

fr

[@AceBadgeYT]

Me

[@andrewp6307]

Anyone else screaming at the screen "Henry noooo" ha ha. Well done guys, that was great fun to watch.

[@ninethetwotailedfox]

xd, yea

[@Onthepod24]

Not yettttttt

[@ateebhassan4655]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@JarodShapiro]

God i hope im never on a place in an emergency with Henry on board

[@domedsky]

Henry is that guy in movies that presses the wrong button and kills everyone.

[@geekygardener1730]

Flight simers would appreciate this opportunity sooooo much more! What a dream it would be.

[@gamingcitypower5869]

Literally my dream 😂

[@videogameplayer0552]

Flying a plane is a very sensory experience though. I would probably struggle landing an airliner even with my 62 hours of flight training. The simulator can be very good for learning procedures though. Especially with vatsim.

[@alexcurmi7412]

You can go fly one of these sims as a non-pilot, quite a few companies offer it around the country as an experience day

[@the-matrix-has-you]

we would land so easily even Captain would ask: are you a pilot? you kidding me right😅 XPlane 10,11,12 Sim Pilot here

[@bodan1196]

Well, I would not be surprised if there are a few museums, and private enthusiast organisations/companies, within a reasonable distance to you, that have simulators that are more accessible than the professional commercial companies. I have the fortune of living an hours drive from a museum with a handful of "rescued" older simulators. A DC-10, an A320, a Convair 440, a Saab 35, a "toy" Saab 39. And a LinkTrainer. None of this is for free, of course, but prices are within reason. It makes for a fun day-trip with friends... had I any... 🙂

[@D-Labbs]

6:01 every pilot watching's heart rate went up

[@clean713]

As someone who flew an Airbus 320 in the Flight Sim, my heart didnt stop ebcause the Autopilot was still set on 10k feet. hahahaha

[@ZeKermet]

@@clean713 "I repeat, the engines are fully retarded" - Guy piloting a plane some hundreds of feet from the runway

[@tahaak]

I‘ve never flown an Aircraft nor played on any flight simulator but when I saw that he turned that V/S knob to 4000 I was like STOOOOP THAT‘S VERTICAL SPEED!!! 😂

[@MrTinmansr22]

The girl in the video needs to get a pilots licence, she was so calm.

[@AirlinersLounge]

I know! She did really well under pressure

[@sunny23uk]

Thank you :)

[@myemail9981]

She did awesome

[@snusun]

nah because it's just a simulation. imagine flying 32000ft and the crew informed you that you've been selected to land the plane safely. the first second i'm sitting in the pilot seat, would be push the stick, down to 10000ft and pray for the best. just Impulsive Thought kicking in

[@johnnunn8688]

Fair enough but how would she do, parking it at the stand? 🤣😂 sorry.

[@steve83803]

Fortunately the pilots were able to set up the approach in the MCDU before they keeled over, great job by all 4 of you. Next video is Autopilot off at 1000 ft 😀

[@spicyweasel]

Won't the approach procedure be already programmed into the MCDU when they get the IFR clearance?

[@flywithusMSFS]

This clearly shows the absolutely incredible technology that is present in these planes. Apart from the incredible stress, this is what it takes.

[@diqital_aviator]

What annoys me is when people act like they know stuff and then mess it up worse than expected

[@tommendoza1812]

Affirmative

[@ReesesPeanutDogger]

for real. Like the third older white guy. He keeps saying shit like “Roger, affirmative” and “standby” like bro just say yes or hold on. and the worst is when he kept moving the knob for the rate of decent omg i clenched my ass so hard u just wanted to smack his hand and say “stop touching shit when you ain’t supposed to!”

[@ReesesPeanutDogger]

and when he put his hand on the thrust levers and said “hand in place on thrust levers” and just instead of listening he decided to pull the thrust back all the way then when the guy said “no dont do that-“ he just said “thrust levers retarded” like oh my god it is terrible.

[@ReesesPeanutDogger]

and then he said mission accomplished….. this isn’t a video game bro what😭

[@diqital_aviator]

@@ReesesPeanutDoggerExactly it's like don't act like you have some experience and use 'the terminology' and make a big picture of yourself and then be awful in reality..

[@nicolondonoe]

Imagine this but on IFR conditions, mountainous terrain, no auto land. I think results would be a bit different hahaha. Great video!

[@highspec_tech90]

I would love to do this (in the simulator obviously) I'm a keen flight sim enthusiast. I love flying the study level Fenix A320. I have spent tonnes of hours learning how to set up the aircraft from cold and dark and can (fairly) confidently fly entire flights. Fun fact: when you pull out those knobs, it's changing that setting from 'managed mode' to 'selected mode'. The latter is you telling the aircraft's FMGC (flight management guidance computer) to override the pre programmed information and tell what the autopilot to do manually.

[@reececaldwell722]

I like how the guy has concluded he might be twisting the wrong knob, but he just keeps twisting announcing that he’s twisting it as though that won’t have catastrophic consequences lol

[@andyballard6038]

Fantastic video, Sunny, Matt and Henry great job and Mark you can be my wingman any time😂. Martin and Andy an absolutely brilliant production bravo.

[@stormbytes]

What an awesome video!! Loved every minute of it

[@0730Media]

Absolutely amazing video guys. Awesome production too, was hooked from start to finish 😁👍🏻👍🏻

[@Dillinger55555]

i literally cried when the last one touched down after making a critical mistake.

[@LisaG-2901]

That raised my heart rate! Brilliant! 😃

[@instant_mint]

Loved this so much haha I'm impressed!!

[@anthonycales9118]

As a flight simmer with about a million hours, i'm always waiting for the moment to be called to the cockpit lol

[@ang47]

by who?

[@ReesesPeanutDogger]

A million..?

[@anthonycales9118]

@@ReesesPeanutDogger Exaggerating, but I do have a lot for sure.

[@sloppyy]

@@anthonycales9118 it's wild that someone actually got skeptical about you saying a million

[@anthonycales9118]

@@sloppyy ikr 🤷‍♂️

[@MattyLMurda]

Henry sounding like a goddamn robot

[@ack_]

"THRUST LEAVERS FULLY RETARDED"

[@martinfirth2849]

What a ride this was. Nooo Henry 😅 lol. Fantastic content guys.

[@jimmymcgill5572]

They would never even figure out how to communicate with the tower to begin with

[@BenShaffer282]

Flight attendants usually have phones within the plane to contact their company. If they do this, then someone on the ground would be able to help them figure out how to key up on the mic to contact tower.

[@THATWHITERTGUY]

Good thing I play Microsoft flight sim

[@jh6273]

dont be sceptical Jimmy that woman would sort it

[@kevinhenryviii]

Absolutely brilliant. 👍🏻

[@Tc867]

Fantastic watch! Thank you!

[@AirlinersLounge]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@robbliven01]

Great pilot directing the newbie! Fascinating video, thanks!

[@AirlinersLounge]

Many thanks!

[@NotAVAP]

Awesome video! I would love to know how the passengers would react if they had to establish radio contact first without help from the crew.

[@England91]

It seems very unlikely passengers would be called and more like the crew be doing it

[@NotAVAP]

@@England91 Well yes, of course. The chance of a passenger being called to the cockpit is near zero in a real world scenario. However it would be a nice experiment.

[@v1switch]

To be fair, the auto land system landed the sim. Put them in a C172 trainer.

[@Brettdyt]

Most passengers would not be able to figure out how to operate the radios to contact air traffic control. They would have no idea what frequency to call, and it could take a long time before they could contact anyone for assistance.

[@zeroneutral]

There are backup emergency comms.

[@SASimulator]

Absolutely amazing video guys 👍

[@AirlinersLounge]

Thank you 🫶

[@lysarbeider6514]

beautiful! i love this!!

[@wtfmanicanthaveaname]

Even knowing youre in a simulator that would be so intense. Its actually pretty cool these planes do so much stuff themselves and by just setting altitude and coords rather than going gung ho on the yoke.

[@scottmattern482]

Granted i have more than average hours playing flight simulator, but I landed a B1 bomber in the training simulator at an air force base (my friend's dad was in charge of the simulator towards the end of his long AF career). He set me up for a straight in approach after flying around for a bit to get a feel for everything, but i nailed it. Afterwards, I saw my approach path vs the ideal path on his computer screen and i was stayed on it the entire time and rolled out smoothly. I only brag because i know full well that i had no chance of landing without lots of help and setup with perfect conditions.

[@Mububban23]

I knew modern airliners were somewhat automated, but it's pretty shocking just HOW automated they are. And all is well with these automated systems until an errant line of code causes problems.... Great job to the 3 pilots!

[@CapnJackFltSimChannel]

Our PMDG 737 flight simulators give you a realistic ability to do this for sure. I was fortunate enough to be able to experience one of these real simulators and the aircraft can indeed practically and realistically land itself given the right inputs and button pushes. Good instruction is definitely necessary and the technology is so advanced these days. Great job and video! Watch some of the flight simmers on KZbin handle some of these sim aircraft. (Myself Included) VERY REALISTIC and close enough to the real thing for you to get at least the general idea of some of the skills and knowledge necessary to be a real pilot. Real Pilots are amazing, hard working, very knowledgeable and trained in so many things us sim guys DON'T ever do and get all of us safely and reliably around the world. Say THANK YOU to the next real pilot you have the opportunity to encounter, and I hope to see you on one of my flight sims!

[@jimgough6852]

Amazing video! Loved it.

[@AirlinersLounge]

Thanks a ton!

[@randombutler]

Nice from control! Bit funny scenarios and very demonstrative (y)

[@randombutler]

If I get an explanation of the flaps and thrust can't I try visual? Can always call it off if there's fuel

[@randombutler]

Contol forgot to mention the ejector

[@mickeyj8503]

That last guy trollin’ on 100%

[@SwatoddddSimulations]

I like how they always do these tests on airbuses because they’re so automated and easy normal civilians would have hell on a boeing aircraft like the 737😭😭

[@AirlinersLounge]

Maybe one for another vid 😏

[@marklangston3107]

I’d still get them to do an auto land in a 737. Set them up exactly the same way.

[@C420sailor]

Autopilot is on MEL. Best of luck! 😂😂

[@kevingreene1514]

737 would be more complicated, but it still has autoland. Put someone in a CRJ or E170/190 and see how that goes...

[@985476246845]

tom scott did a 737

[@tango976]

I would love to try this

[@busterellis7188]

This is on my bucket list. Would love to do it.

[@gishjalmr5628]

I was lucky enough to use an F15 simulator when I was stationed at SJAFB in North Carolina. The person running the simulator had me attempt landing several times and I crashed every single time. It's a lot harder than it sounds.

[@cabovermike]

Brilliant !

[@NoBSTravelChannel]

This was great, but in 99.9% of cases the plane will crash unless SOMEONE knows how to initially contact ATC in the first place. I wouldn't have a clue tbh, and I've spent years playing sims, just on a surface level. I'm 70% sure I could land the plane, 60% sure I would destroy the undercarriage, 40% sure I'd kill someone and 100% sure I'd f**k it up regardless.

[@impy1980]

This is why I will always volunteer myself, even with my disability and reduced clarity in my speech. It is essential in critical situations that we adhere to 3 way repeat and read back. If you're into football this is why during the infamous Liverpool v Tottenham game at the beginning of the 23/24 season, Simon Hooper the on field referee and VAR Darren England got it so wrong, none of them, partly due to poor PGMOL protocols, confirmed what was actually happening, nether of them stated what was being checked, or repeated/questioned what was being checked, there was a lot of "yes mate's" said while both assumed they were talking about the same thing when in fact it was the complete opposite. It's worth listening to the dialogue even if you're not into football to understand the importance communication and repeating information so all parties know they are on the same page. This is why Henry struggled throughout, yes or affirmative alone has no meaning, nor did it give Cpt Mark any feedback so he could've been in a better position to correct or aid Henry, and for Mark, he should have worded it so retarder was earlier in the landing dialogue, "when you hear retarder, and only when you hear, these are the controls you operate...", I think with Matt and Sunny the instructions must've been clearer, but if Henry had done a read back before his actions, despite the radio interference, the potential problematic error, depending on the airport approach could've been avoided. I do think it really matters who the assistant is though, they need to be calming, personable and have clarity with giving instructions. Anyone who has given family members tech support over the phone knows the struggle, I always ask do you see this, what did you just do, especially when I'm getting no feedback, so I can keep track of the steps taken. Every person training to help land a plane should have to do "family member remote tech assistance", if they can survive that ordeal, they'll be fine helping a rando land a plane haha.

[@fekvid6512]

good video will try that sim

[@surlydev]

Sunny was so calm and collected. She looked like she'd done that a dozen times

[@JB-bs1se]

Henry needs to be kicked out of the cockpit 😂

[@ashscott6068]

"Lower the landing gear now!" "You do realise that will mean putting the walkie talkie down..."

[@SimRacingVeteran]

As someone who has a bit of experience with flight sims and a pretty good knowledge of navigation and controls. I think I would be able to land a plane if I had to. It probably wouldn’t be a pretty landing but I believe I would be able to do it. Although if I had zero knowledge, I don’t think I’d be able to do it.

[@paulbismuth6167]

Yes. It is called the Dunning-Kruger effect.

[@Kenionatus]

This has strong Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes vibes. It's a game about diffusing a bomb where one person sees the bomb and one or more players don't, but they have the manual that the diffuser doesn't have.

[@azeemfazlina7924]

❤❤❤❤ super excited 😊😊😊❤❤❤❤ Great job love ....

[@Combination12345]

I just want to wish you good luck. We’re all counting on you!

[@effortlesschoice]

I was a US Navy air traffic controller from 78 to 86. Last four years at NAS Whidbey Island. I was helping a friend from the Public Affairs office with a group of 10 Canadian commercial airline pilots. I took them to the A6 carrier landing simulator and arranged for each of them to get three passes at the deck. Zero sea state, daytime for two passes, nighttime for 1. One pilot managed to trap one time during daylight. This story is in no way a knock on these skilled pilots, it’s a testament to the extreme difficulty of carrier ops. Also, I mention they were Canadian only to show they had zero experience with US Navy flight ops (obviously).

[@mikelucas7171]

Great video I would just love a crack at that!

[@samxyx]

I guess the real question is how fast ATC can connect the passenger with a pilot with expertise in the exact model of plane they're flying. Cause while the guy in the video is good, you're not always going to have someone that well-prepped for the situation immediately on hand.

[@hafizridhwaan]

Great watch

[@Shabz777]

love this

[@Outandabout2384]

Excellent,!

[@Banjothedog7]

Brilliant

[@Kenionatus]

One thing I'm interested in is whether someone could figure out how to establish radio communication without prior knowledge of how to do it.

[@rgm4646]

OMG I want to do this so bad! The A320 is one of my favorites in MSFS.

[@AirlinersLounge]

Book yourself in at the sim! Give it a go

[@ytkingsniper7279]

6:10 ATC says: put altitude to 4000 ft. Man with glasses: It says -2900, -3000, -4000 🤣🤣🤣🤣😆😆😆. I'm dying out of laughter 😆😆😆😆🤣🤣🤣🤣. No one should ever let him pilot a plane ever! He first of all: turns off the autopilot by pressing the rudder peddles, then doesn't know how to press AP1 to turn auto pilot back on. Then when atc tells him to bring down altitude to 4,000 and they tell him which stick it is on the dashboard he some how 😆😆 press the other one and has it on -800, -1500, -2500 🤣🤣🤣🤣. OMG! I'm dying 🤣🤣🤣🤣.

[@jessicaregina1956]

😂 the best thing is he is aware of it.......

[@d.b.cooper1]

Loved this hilarious

[@Dundee.]

Oh wow... Very original idea.

[@luisjosepereira8036]

this was amazing, ah such a beautiful content, have to say that the woman was so relaxed it's fabulous.😄🍃

[@AirlinersLounge]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@SceneArtisan]

Maybe if possible, set a tougher challenge for 3 other would-be pilots,.. except on a twin-engined aircraft (e.g. 737 or A320),. when one engine is 50% down on power; see if they can land it.

[@marklangston3107]

The A320 can still auto land on one engine

[@SceneArtisan]

@@marklangston3107 :) Shhhh,.. ;)

[@iLKanku]

The calmest passenger ever!

[@AP-yd1wz]

The guy without hat could not follow instructions in a simulator, imagine with the added panic of a real emergency. However, it would have helped if he was told what the controls he was asked to act on were for and what the outcome of his action was expected to be. For example clearly explain that pulling the thrust levers all the way back reverse the thrust, push the plane backward.

[@madbullboy1]

Henry is acting professionally and did not land bad but pulling the trust back at 100 ft before the ground another level

[@AirlinersLounge]

Yeah, even we were holding on at that point 😄

[@amorphousblob2721]

That projector wash-out was awful once it was "night" outside. Should've switched the camera's settings so the light wouldn't've been needed.

[@diotough]

You already removed the hardest part - well 2nd hardest part after getting IN to the cockpit: dialing in the correct frequency and actually have someone to talk to.

[@zixuanyu868]

In the video they didn't do that part.

[@joeg8269]

...there's always one... I dont want that guy in the glasses anywhere near me 😂

[@BrockEditsStuff]

“Thrust levers are fully re##rded”💀💀💀

[@silentz0r]

If a person is ever in this situation, I believe the hardest part is being able to establish communication with ATC.

[@Smee86]

Cool they done well.

[@JadwinManuel]

Henry not allowed to drive his friends around anymore

[@timthejit]

😂 as a flight simmer i cna relate this was me when i started

[@Sombody123]

They should make a game out of this like "Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes".

[@jasonshadeslayer1966]

Man in the hat was cool, calm, and collected.

[@jonbob585]

It's the little room with pilots in it, but that's not important now

[@LoliPolice-bf7mw]

Guy in the glasses wanted to save that gallon of fuel

[@SonamWangdi-wq8kh]

Headphone with a Mic❌ Walkie Talkie✅

[@rty1955]

As a pilot in USA i was told by the FAA at a meeting right after 9/12 to identify myself as a pilot when checking in for a flight so they can make a note in thr passenger manifest in the event of an emergency. Obviously i would not be type rated in the a/c i am a passenger on, but i would be able to manually fly the aircraft in IFR conditions and understand ATC communications.

[@TheConhis]

it is briliant...

[@AXELITODEGUATE]

Henry's problem was just that at the end he continuosly pressed the talk button on the walkie-talkie so he couln't hear the other person speaking. Other than that, I think he followed the instructions very good.

[@eidodk]

Not even close... He genuinely might have a hearing issue. Also - relaying every 10 feet descent is NOT what you want to do when you're relying on instructions from the other end of a radio.

[@JonSudano]

This is just IT in a nutshell

[@hansblitz7770]

Yeah, but, to key up the mic is usually a button left on the joystick. Not sure where it is on an airliner. Not sure what frequency it dial to, or where the dial is for the radio. Why aren't things labeled more obviously?

[@Burnerlug]

Henry is such a goober 😅

[@ScottTheMarine]

I just knew that the dude in glasses was going to drop them 4000 feet in less than a minute and then I can't believe that bird still made it after he reduced thrust that far out. Imagine that being an actual situation I'm sure they would have all been a lot more anxious. I know I would be.

[@hasithapriyasad]

As a sim a320 pilot this is my dream :)

[@macbookdepressao]

Como um piloto de helicóptero e instrutor de voo, posso dizer que a moça foi muito bem. Soube cumprir as instruções de forma muito objetiva. Sobre o cara de óculos, não posso dizer o mesmo hahaha

[@EbiCross1990]

Approach phase activated? What about FMGC setup for the type of approach? And what about RMP talking to ATC? I know these are like test to prove that normal people can land the a320 but in reality its really difficult. If you have experience playing flying simulators then its possible

[@bgamer251]

EZ I do this every day in the sim.. tho I wish I didn't have to configure the MCDU every time.

[@bobbytetlowmcfc4619]

Matty boy smith 😂😂

[@80aj]

Meanwhile, flight sim pilots are gonna be like, can I just get atc heading to next waypoint please. We are finishing the flight.

[@royaltee5896]

I would love to do this

[@erich930]

Gotta make it authentic and use the aircraft's radios! You've got them wearing the headset and everything, but using a dinky little hand-held walkie-talkie.

[@985476246845]

activating the radios in the aircraft is half the challenge for a layperson.