Drunk Pilot? Relax, We Have Computers!

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
Are you panicked because your pilot is too drunk to even give pre-flight announcements? Calm down, calm down…the airline says that computers practically fly the planes by themselves anyhow. Wow, those computer things sure are handy, fasten your seat belts!

As the rebellion spread, Aeroflot representatives boarded the aircraft to try to calm down the 300 passengers. One sought to reassure them by announcing that it was "not such a big deal" if the pilot was drunk because the aircraft practically flew itself.
Click to expand...
 
That is the most irresponsible thing I have heard in a while. While it may be true that the onboard instruments can fly the plane, and in certain circumstances even land the plane, it does not account for if the onboard computer systems crash or if there is any sort of emergency.

What if the engines sucked up a flock of birds on takeoff? I doubt if any onboard computer is capable of landing a plane under those circumstances.
 
Yeah, those computers will work real good with a drunken slob at the controls pushing all the pretty buttons :rolleyes:
 
CaptNumbNutz said:
That is the most irresponsible thing I have heard in a while. While it may be true that the onboard instruments can fly the plane, and in certain circumstances even land the plane, it does not account for if the onboard computer systems crash or if there is any sort of emergency.

What if the engines sucked up a flock of birds on takeoff? I doubt if any onboard computer is capable of landing a plane under those circumstances.
Click to expand...

Not for anything but you are talking of FOUR discreet channels failing COMPLETELY.

From flight controls, to instrumentation to even hydraulic systems.

That means that all fours channels would have to fail. SIMULTANEOUSLY.

With that said, no way that a pilot should be tipsy while flying the damn thing as they rely on those tiny instruments for their location and orientation.
 
anytime you put your life in someone else's hands it comes with a risk, I hate getting in a cab let alone flying.

we need a 300MPH train that goes to the larger cities. F flying.
 
I love this quote:

""I don't think there's anyone in Russia who doesn't know what a drunk person looks like," Katya Kushner, one of the passengers, told the Moscow Times"


 
I've been around computers since 1968 when I started programming in Assembler Language on IBM 360s.

I've been a pilot since 1979.

Ain't no way in hell that I'd trust a computer to fly MY airplane for me!
 
CaptNumbNutz said:
What if the engines sucked up a flock of birds on takeoff? I doubt if any onboard computer is capable of landing a plane under those circumstances.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, like that'll evar happen!!

Seriously, they make a good point. How sober do you need to be to fly a plane?
 
So I guess the computers in our cars practically drives itself too. If I ever drink and drive, I'll tell this to the officer and see what he thinks. I highly doubt that will fly with him.
 
I'm thinking of the lines from The Last Crusade

Henry Ford: son, I didn't know you could fly a plane!
Indy: Fly? Yes. Land? No!
 
here's a video



<embed src="http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/115499/drunk_airline_pilots.swf" width="400" height="345" wmode="transparent" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true"> </embed><br><font size = 1><a href="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/115499/drunk_airline_pilots/">Drunk Airline Pilots?</a> - <a href="http://www.metacafe.com/">The most popular videos are here</a></font>
 
protias said:
So I guess the computers in our cars practically drives itself too. If I ever drink and drive, I'll tell this to the officer and see what he thinks. I highly doubt that will fly with him.
Click to expand...

Fail. Autopilot really does actually fly the plane, the pilot just sits there and watches it.
 
Unbelievable. I hope their respective Airlines Agency fines the pants off them.
 
kllrnohj said:
Fail. Autopilot really does actually fly the plane, the pilot just sits there and watches it.
Click to expand...

I happen to have worked in the commercial airplane industry and airplanes do pretty much fly themselves now. The pilot is there to make sure everything is working correctly and interfere in the event of an emergency or some unexpected condition. Especially once the airplane is at cruise altitude the pilots do nothing other than monitor the onboard systems. Most modern airplanes are also equipped with auto-land and are often required to use auto-land in adverse weather conditions (e.g. fog). So their statement was indeed correct, but that still would not justify the pilot being drunk.
 
digitalfreak said:
I love this quote:

""I don't think there's anyone in Russia who doesn't know what a drunk person looks like," Katya Kushner, one of the passengers, told the Moscow Times"
Click to expand...

I knew someone would beat me to this one! :p
 
he wasn't drunk. the alcohol overclocked his liver. Totally different. Similar symptoms.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top