Pilots respond to men who claim to be able to land a plane: "It's an exaggerated ego."

Many people believe that doing other things they're not as accustomed to is fairly straightforward. It happens every four years with the Olympic Games and every time they board an aircraft, and there are quite a few men who consider themselves capable of landing a plane. In fact, a 2023 study conducted by YouGov concluded that 46% of men in the United States (data were not collected from Spain) think they have the ability to do it.

This data has gone quite viral on social media, especially on TikTok, where many users have echoed the survey. Despite widespread belief, real pilots have completely refuted the feeling held by almost half of all men, and that landing a plane involves much more than most people think. Therefore, several commanders have explained that those who believe they can do it are seriously mistaken.

Airline pilots dispute the study's results

Airline pilots have taken it upon themselves to refute all those who believe they could land an aircraft without problems (20% were very confident and 26% were fairly convinced). Speaking to Le Parisien , psychologist Christian Grijalvo, who specializes in male behavior, claims that this data is due to "an exaggerated ego" among men, as well as the trivialization that commanders have suffered in recent years.

On the other hand, Paul Dupuy, an Air France pilot for nearly a quarter of a century, states emphatically that if an "ordinary" passenger takes the controls, "it's over." He acknowledges that in his experience as an instructor, he has seen how years of experience are required to be able to fly and land a plane safely. In fact, he believes that "movies have made it look easy" (for example, the crazy "Snakes on a Plane "), but that in reality, it's much more difficult.

From technical aspects like engine power to other issues only industry professionals know, there are many things to be aware of when landing. Gérard Feldzer, a now-retired pilot, also confirms this: "The instrument panel is very complex; there are many controls and too many parameters to take into account," he says.

In the event that a passenger must take control of an aircraft, as another former pilot explained to the French media, a series of very exceptional circumstances would have to be met, such as the captains themselves allowing a passenger access to the cockpit , the passenger contacting the control tower for guidance, and, above all, ensuring that there has not been a prior accident.