#279 overall
Pinch Hitter Course
AOPA
2 recommenders · 2 threads · recommended in 2 years, 2010–2013 · score 1.8
The AOPA Pinch Hitter Course teaches non-pilots, such as spouses of pilots, how to land a light aircraft in an emergency if the pilot becomes incapacitated. It is built around basic flight training aimed at that single goal.
Commenters recommend it as a practical way for non-pilot passengers to learn emergency landing basics, noting it has reportedly saved lives when pilots suffer heart attacks.
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20062026
Came here to say this. An untrained person in control of an aircraft most definitely justifies declaring an emergency.
I didn't really like the article. Honestly, if you're in a light aircraft and the pilot conks out you're going to get badly hurt if you survive at all. Landing a plane feels very weird for a very long time. In a big jet you'd have a far better chance: your controller can talk you through setting the autopilot to take you to a big airport, and then have you set autoland. (Of course, that scenario is pure movie fantasy, whereas the first is actually quite likely!)
If anyone is interested in this sort of preparation, I'd recommend taking a $50 intro flying lesson or - better - signing up for the AOPA's "Pinch Hitter" course, which is designed to teach non-flying spouses of pilots how to do just this. It's saved a surprising (alarming) number of lives - a lot of private pilots are fat old men who get heart attacks.
Sorry, but the chances of this are minuscule. However, there is a chance and it depends on their mental state, how much they've flown the simulator, what types of maneuvers they've practiced and how closely it matches to the actual aircraft. One thing that would vastly improve your odds is getting ahold of a flight instructor or another pilot via the radio.
One thing a pilot is never allowed to do, is give up (no matter what); and neither should you if caught in a survival scenario.
If this is a real concern for you, check out something like the AOPA Pinch Hitter's Course, which can teach someone to land an airplane during an emergency with only minimal flight training. See http://www.avweb.com/news/safety/183024-1.html
If your question is more along the lines of "does a simulator make an acceptable substitute for an aircraft?", the answer must be no. Simulators are really only useful as a supplement to actual flight experience and training.