What kind of flight training would you need....?

Question

...to hit a five storey building at 500mph?

Can a person really learn to be so skilled a pilot from doing civilian flight training and simulations?

I have my doubts about the Pentagon 'terrorist attack' due to this line of thought. The Pentagon is only five storeys tall. Surely it would take someone with intense, military flight training to score a direct hit on such a building.

At 500mph, split-second reflexes and a hufge amount of skill would be needed to not:

A) bury the plane, short of the building

or

B) overshoot and miss completely

I am hoping to receive an answer from someone with a flying history, who could hopefully offer better judgement to the contrary. I don't want to entertain thoughts of a military air force having done this.

Does Afghanistan have an air force?

Answer 1

Most modern planes have computerised systems. You just enter your co-ordinates and auto pilot does the rest.

Answer 2

Once you understand the principles of flying, as long as you can see it, hitting it is relatively easy. The flight simulator  games that put you in the cockpit of various airplanes on your computer are awesome and all that would be needed for anybody who had had an introduction to flight course. I know several pilots who are using their computers to stay competent (not current) at various of the more complex flying tasks.  If it matters, I have many hours of flying everything from Radio control models to hang gliders to ultralights, sailplanes and light planes. Nothing at 500 miles an hour. That's where the as long as you can see it comes in...

Edit:  As long as the aircurrents are steady, the trick to hitting something in a plane is the same as in a car. If your target is stationary on the windshield, your are on a collision course. Only difference is in a car is its side to side only, the road controls your elevation.

Answer 3

Lucky Bunny,

Don't forget there guys were in commercial flight training. Some hit the WTC which was narrower than the Pentagon.

While the Pentagon is 'only' five stories tall, it's a high five stories. Factor in the size of the aircraft involved (big) and the fact there were no obstructions and it's easy to see how someone could achieve their objective. And if they had training is navigation they could easily have dialed in the GPS coordinates and the plane would literally fly itself into the building.

Also, remember the kamikazes were trying to hit moving ships and were being shot at. But many did hit their targets.

"Ranger"

Answer 4

I do not believe "intense military training" is required to hit a building that size in the manner it was hit.  The pentagon is (or maybe was) the largest office building in the world. It is also very stationary. In WW 2, Kamikaze's were given only very basic rudimentary flight training and were sent off to hit US ships. Aircraft carriers, for example, are massive structures, but are not as big as the pentagon. They also move and are heavily armed.  Additionally, they have dozens if not hundreds of escort ships that are armed and alot of fighter air-cover. Makes hitting the pentagon seem a bit easier, no? The speed at which the plane struck the building is probably not that important as it could have been flying much slower until it was lined up on the target and accellerated. Personally, I do not think there was any type of great airmanship or talent involved.