Close to half of the men think they can land a large airplane

Over 20,000 Americans have been asked in a major survey whether they believe they are capable of landing a large passenger aircraft by themselves or not, should the emergency require it.

Almost half of the men think they can.

– I say no at once, says aviation expert Hans Kjäll.

The survey comes from YouGov in the US, and both men and women have had to answer the same questions.

To the question “how sure are you that you could land an airplane in an emergency situation”, 47 percent of the men answer that they are sure that they could manage it.

– No, I say at once. It is a rather complicated training and procedure to land a large aircraft, says aviation expert Hans Kjäll when he comments on the investigation in Efter fem.

Big differences between the sexes

In the same survey, 20 percent of the women answered that they felt confident that they would be able to land a passenger plane.

– The result that the women come up with is much better, it leans more in that direction anyway, says Hans Kjäll.

Landing a large passenger aircraft is anything but a simple matter, says Hans Kjäll. In addition to several years of training, both practical and theoretical, the pilots are also required to start small before they are allowed to pilot the large aircraft.

– It usually starts with gliders and transitions to light motor aircraft. Then there will be two engines and so on. As an ordinary passenger, the chance of being able to land a large passenger aircraft is very small, he says.

Unusual scenario

The probability that a passenger would have to land a passenger aircraft on their own is also very small, says Hans Kjäll. Among other things, because it would mean that two pilots would somehow be unable to land the plane. Something that is also taken care of before a flight.

– You never eat the same food, but food from different restaurants, for example. So one of the captain and mate is always healthy, he says.