Who would you choose to land an airliner, if you had the choice out of these two?

Question

If you were on a flight and both pilots were killed somehow (?!) and there were two people willing to have a go at landing the plane (not YOU, you've broke your arms!!!), who would you choose out of these two...

1) 19 year old with 3 top grade A levels in Mathematics, Physics and English

or...

2) 25 year old who studied media at college and University and has a Masters degree in media production.

Just humour me...!

Answer 1

I'd go with the 25 year old.

Three reasons -

First, he (or she) has had more life experience.  They would be a bit more mature, and more able to handle the problem and stress.

Second, they are used to using technology, and have proven they know how to use computers, etc., that would translate to a sophisticated airplane.

Third, I can tell him what to do to fly the airplane.  I'm a pilot.  It's not real hard to land an airplane if you have someone who knows how to do it sitting there with you, and can walk you through it.  I did it the first lesson I took - my flight instructor walked me through it....

Answer 2

The 19-year-old. Their reflexes are way cool, both in video games and in real life. If they know math & physics, they'll know they can't cheat Newtonian mechanics, and will respond responsibly. And grown-ups are keeping the booze out of the cockpit.

The liberal arts people are just ballast, in case the aircraft has to jettison some useless weight....besides, they'll be the ones snorting the coke in the back of the bus....

Answer 3

You people dont think, id pick both, the 19 year old would fly while the 25 year old will handle communications with atc, there is two seats u know

Answer 4

Hmm... I think I'd pick #2.  That person probably has a better understanding of the radios and would have less trouble figuring out how to get help from the ground.

Nothing wrong with a physics background, but without any experience, theory doesn't go too far.

Answer 5

i would choose 1) 19 year old with 3 top grade A levels in Mathematics, Physics and English because  he would understand some of the problem

Answer 6

1 of course!!!!

Answer 7

the one able to turn on the autopilot and tune in the ILS frequency. that means the one with better understanding to simple radio transmitted commands.

Answer 8

I'd put the 25 yr old up there.  No one gives a sh*t what the 19 year old makes in his little highschool exams.  The 25 year old will be much more mature.  Plus a highschool A in math and physics mean nothing when you are looking at an emergency landing.  The 25 year old will most likely be much more calm in the situation and will be able to take direction than the 19 year old who obviously thinks he's a hotshot will 3 A's in his highschool.  Whoopdy sh*t, no one cares.  Grow up!

Answer 9

I'd be torn between choosing either as instinctively I'd opt for 2) but then would be worried about being sued for age discrimination, and if I opted for 1) the same might happen. So I'd probably agonise over the choice all the way down to the ground, cursing myself for being so indecisive and cursing all the awful laws and things that put me in that predicament.

Answer 10

I'd still be the better choice, even with 2 broken arms. But then, I don't do the airline passenger thing to begin with, so I wouldn't be on board.

Answer 11

the 25 yr old duh, chances are hes made a movie about planes, and the 19 yr old is a nerd and probaly doesnt even drive.

Answer 12

Ok, the 19 year old can read a book and pass exams... but the 25 year old has 6 more years of life experience.

Most cases common sense is the most valuable thing.

You would have to see what their reaction would be like or how much enthusiasm they have.

If they were both keen to give it a shot......... well there's 2 seats in the front the last time i checked.

I'd be sitting in the other end of the plane, away from the fuel tanks / ground / near the door.

O yeah the media student may have all that to get in to uni...... or may be a job-less bum.

more.... The media student may have seen alot more  flying films and air crash doc's..... die hard 2, Passenger 57, aeroplane, con-air, air America......err... help me out here!

( a 25 year old, did media (tech) stuff at collage )

Answer 13

We can use our feet can we?

Answer 14

I would opt for the teenager, assuming that he would be sensible, logical and level headed and would attempt to land the aircraft.

The media guy would be more worried on how spectacular the crash can be made, getting maximum viewership.

I would take my chances with the guy would give safe landing the priority. It would be easier for him to understand that slower the landing speed and gentler the angle of arrival means better survivability.

Answer 15

That's an interesting question.  I work in radio and love flying, so I don't think the media guy would be out of the questions, BUT... he hasn't been trained to fly.

I knew a guy in my ground school who was SO anal retentive, he couldn't do more than one task at a time.  He had to follow a single step at a time checklist.

But, with neither of them having been trained as pilots (I assume), I would take the young academic student.  I just think he's understand things a little better.

Answer 16

I'd take the 19 year old because of his Physics studies ( he'll have a good understanding of aerodynamics, gravity, accelaration and the power of thrust etc), because of his English (air traffic control always speak in english and they can guide him in), and because he's 19 he probably plays a lot of games on his computer/games console, and has excellent hand/eye coordination and concentraion.

Answer 17

neither call the tower and find the auto-pilot button

Answer 18

Id fly it myself....lol

Answer 19

It doesn't matter which.

I want the one with the dexterity and the feel for the aircraft.  I think the math genius will be a bit too high strung to properly handle the controls.  That can cause a crash very easily.

Knowing math and physics is meaningless, unless you also have knowledge of that particular aircraft's weight and balance, and flight characteristics.

In this scenario, it seems both candidates are new to the situation.

I'll take the 25 year old.  The extra six years of driving cars gives him an edge in flying the aircraft.