I just read 4 different reports on this and all mentioned the "King
Air jet" that the single-engine pilot landed.
Then the video I saw showed a biz jet in the distance with emergency
vehicles in the foreground.
I really don't expect much more from the media but when it's something
that hits home for a pilot like me, the stupidity
of it or lack of research/knowledge by the media just seems to be
magnified.

NOW - who among us has ever dreamed of being the only licenced pilot
on board an incapacitated airplane that's much larger
than what we are rated for?
I'll admit to daydreaming about being an board a passenger jet when
the stewardess comes onto the p.a. with something like
"Are there any pilots on board this aircraft?" I then dream about
taking the controls with all pilots incapacitated somehow and
making the most beautiful of landings with a little help from ATC. Of
course, the pilot(s)
end up being fine, too.

Ricky



On Apr 13, 10:22*am, Mike Ash wrote:
Nearly an interesting piece of data on the simmer-landing-an-airliner
question. The pilot of a King Air had a seizure, and the plane was then
landed by one of his passengers:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...r-lands-plane_...
m

However, the punch line is that the passenger was *also* a pilot, albeit
lacking the proper endorsements for a King Air, so the question of a
layman successfully handling things remains unknown. They *did* find a
person familiar with the airplane to help him land it. The controller
called a friend who knew about King Airs and helped talk the guy down.
But I can only assume that the directions being given assumed that the
pilot-passenger would know where to find things, since there would be no
guarantee that the panel would be identical.

An interesting story, anyway. I sure would hate to be the only other
rated pilot on board a King Air whose pilot had just passed out.

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon