How many of you guys are real pilots?

Pilots are humans too. And humans can make errors under stress or when being distracted :wink:

Of course we can and do make errors, no question about it, but thatā€™s a completely different thing than accusing them of stalling their aircraft because they forgot how fly their aircraft manually.
(which was the original text I replied to)

Really ā€œso manyā€ accidents? Yes happens about every other day doesnā€™t it. I donā€™t believe you understand how safe commercial aviation is compared to GA. The fatal accident rate in GA is enormous compared the commercial air transport. Where I come from GA is overpopulated in the incidents and accident reports, runway incursions and excursions, loss of control, VFR into IMC, you name it.

Apparently the superior hand flying skills of GA pilots in the end doesnā€™t safe the day (at least it doesnā€™t show in the accident statistics). Besides, automation is as common in a modern GA cockpit nowadays with all the fancy G1000s and what not. Take a look at this video and see how ā€œbadā€ commercial pilots are doing compared to general aviation (only first part of the video is relevant).

Around one fatal accident every other day or so if there were as many GA flights as there are commercial flights right now with the GA accident statistics, yeah GA is not doing so well in comparison. Its not that GA is unsafe, commercial aviation is just that much safer.

Yes when actually understanding the numbers and knowing what is going on in commercial aviation, knowledge of thread and error management, recurrent training etc. I can say its a stupid comment, besides being completely irrelevant in this topic. Of course incidents or accidents do happen, and some of those are due to lack of flying skills, but to say commercial pilots forgot how to fly goes a little far and is a bit comical all things considered.

Being a commercial pilot also flying GA, whilst fun, in my opinion very little of those skills are transferable when flying a complex airliner. Being able to hand fly a Cessna does not make you a better pilot flying an airliner, despite up, down, left, right being the same, very little else is. Thats why an airline pilot, whilst able to fly an airliner, isnā€™t allowed to fly a Cessna unless keeping his Single Engine Piston rating valid.

In other words, flying GA ā€œto keep the skills upā€ is none sense, you need to remain proficient in hand flying the actual aircraft, thats why we are hand flying wherever possible usually and have to go back into the sim every 6 months, including the mandatory Upset Prevention Recovery Training (UPRT) every 6 months. Unreliable airspeed, is also an important one which is being trained often after the Air France crash.

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Confirmed. Multiple accidents reliably each dayā€¦in GA!
Aviation Safety Network > (aviation-safety.net)

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RW airline pilot in NZ, currently flying the ATR 72-600. Enjoy my day job lots, but havenā€™t flown just for fun in quite a few years. MSFS is great to leaping off the magenta line and exploring low and slow without worrying about procedures :wink:

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I am too, B738.

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Please keep comments in this thread related to the original question:

Thanks all!

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My 182T Skylane!

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Happy New Year folks! Iā€™m an ATPL H, currently flying the S92A helicopter offshore to oil rigs and boats. Former RAF helicopter pilot and flew Puma, Merlin and Griffin helicopters in the military. About 6500 military/civil hours although I mainly fly a desk nowadays.

Have also had real world experience in pretty much everything else from a Fast Jet to Gliders to the A320 and used to fly the Grob Tutor for fun demonstrating aerobatics to air cadets. The most fun flying Iā€™ve done out of the lot was the gliding which was just brilliant :slight_smile:

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I am unfortunaly not a pilot but :

@pilots from real world just for my interest: What do you think has the better flight model of the simulators that you know?

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15 years! Private pilot ASEL, Instrument, Commercial Rotorcraft Helicopter, Owned a Cherokee 180 for 13 years, and Currently own and fly a Weight-shift REVOLT LSA trike, and an American Legend Super Cub! Been flying Microsoft flight sims (and a few others) since FS98! Still addicted!!

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Currently working on my PPL on at Peterson AFBā€™s aero club. About 25 hours in. Took way to many breaks do to low on funds.

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Moved to #gd-interests:real-life-aviation

Iā€™m so jealous. I canā€™t wait to get that far into my flight journey. I agree my dad introduced me to Flight simulator in 98 as well. He was grooming me for the airforce (He was SF in the army) but nooo I decided to be infantry lol.

From what Iā€™ve seen, with pure beauty and realistic looks, MSFS is pretty good. From what some of my ex-military pilot friends Iā€™ve met on Peterson (they teach at my flight school) They say that xplane has slighty better dynamics, but the one that is lightyears ahead by realism, and handling is DCS combat simulator (at least for military type planes)

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Oh god those devil creations j/k. After being infantry and being in blackhawks, and chinnooks I will say they have always fascinated me. My best friend who was at most of the same units as me, stayed in and is currently training at Rucker on the Lakotas. He loves it. Says it can be rather challenging.

Me and my Warrior before i have Neurolgical diseaseā€¦

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Working on it :slightly_smiling_face:

Terribly sorry to hear that. Is there any rebounding I hope the disease is tamable? I knew a guy who had heart issues, and couldnā€™t fly anymore heā€™s been fighting for years to get his license back.

Nope as it is degenerativeā€¦ So the sim is my only way now :slight_smile: