Thinking the unthinkable

Let’s think the unthinkable. To borrow a plotline from the movie Airplane, what if both pilots on your corporate jet “ate the fish” for their in-flight meal and became incapacitated? Would all be lost? Would everyone onboard be doomed?

Answer: no. And you just might be a hero.

A couple of years ago, a passenger on a corporate King Air twin-turboprop took over the controls when his pilot suffered a heart attack and died in flight. The passenger was able to land the airplane safely, saving his wife and daughters, with assistance from air traffic controllers and a former King Air pilot who relayed instructions by telephone.

Assuming you’re not a pilot yourself, what would your chances be of safely landing your corporate aircraft should the unimaginable occur? Thankfully, this is an almost totally hypothetical question, since the odds against both pilots of a two-person crew keeling over are astronomical, fish or no fish. Even passengers on single-pilot aircraft are only slightly more at risk, statistically. But think about it for a minute. What would you do?

While you think, I’ll let you in on a trade secret held among the brotherhood of pilots: these things are really not that hard to fly. Knowing this might help you accomplish your first order of business: avoid panic.

Granted, it would help if you were somewhat ­familiar with how to tune the radio and with the airplane’s primary controls–the yoke, rudder pedals and throttles. (On your next flight, ask your pilots for a basic rundown on the cockpit. Just don’t tell them why. It might creep them out.) It would also help to have spent a few hours with Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is a surprisingly good tutor. (A half hour in a real simulator would be even better.) In any event, though, you can do this.

When you take over, the airplane will probably be cruising on autopilot, so for a while at least, it should fly itself. You’ll need a coach, though, so don the headset and sing out “Mayday” to whoever is on the other end. Explain the situation concisely; then listen carefully. The air traffic controller will locate you on the radar screen, direct you toward a suitable airport and put you in touch with a pilot who can help you land. The best one would be a pilot familiar with your particular airplane, since many cockpits have at least minor differences. The basics are pretty standard, however. Throttles, autopilot disconnect, landing gear, flaps and brakes are the key components you’ll need to locate for a safe landing.

The end game is to descend gradually to a long, ­uncrowded runway that you can ease onto with enough speed to maintain control, but not so fast as to run off the end. Maneuvering an airplane to landing is a bit like judging the appropriate speed for coasting down a highway exit ramp–ease back on the gas (but not too much), use the control wheel to maintain the airspeed you’ve been told to shoot for (add power if you need to) and let gravity bring you down. Trust me: gravity works, every time. The controller in the tower and your pilot-coach will let you know how you’re doing.

As I said, the odds against facing this situation are off the charts. But if worse comes to worst and you do find yourself in the pilot’s seat someday, you may be surprised at how easily you can return yourself to terra firma.