Why does everyone say they were "well funded"?

[jehh]

<< And how do we know that the terrorists are the ones who flew. I know it's not a good thought but what if an american pilot was forced to do this. Maybe that is why the one went down before reaching it's target. I agree it was well thought out, but not more than any high school kid could have done. What organazation was needed really...you get on that plane, I'll get on this one. After half an hour in the air highjack it. Unfortunately I think it's easier than everyone thinks. I realize that my example is very simplistic, but really how much money does it take? >>



Because no pilot would fly his airliner into an occoupied building, even with a gun to his head, or a gun to someone elses head... Sane humans just cannot do it, it isn't in our programming...

 

[jehh]

<< "It isn't easy to fly a large commercial jumbo jet with such precision. That requires training. Expensive training. No, Flight Sim 2K will NOT teach you how to fly one."

Actually few simulators can give you the "feel" of flying a big jet, IE,:g-forces they CAN give an accurate
model as to how the aircraft will respond to pilot control, Climb rate, roll rate, stall ect. Maybe enough
to get this horrible act done.. >>



This is true, and flying is the easy part, taking off, landing, navigating, etc. are the hard parts...

Anyone with reasonable hand-eye skills can do it given 15 minutes of basic instruction... At least the flying stright and level and small turns stuff, a few hours for a few other things and that is it...

FYI, a 767 is very easy to just "fly"... You have 2 throttles in the middle console, push foward and it goes faster, pull back and it goes slower... Flaps are near the bottom of the center console, don't go beyond 20 degrees over 200 knots... don't drop below 165 knots without flaps, below 135 knots with 40 degree flaps...

Don't bank more than 30 degrees, it falls off fast, don't pust down or pull up more than about 20 degress... don't go faster than about 550 knots to be safe, watch your fuel gages to make sure you're buring fuel out of full tanks... your engine fire extingushes are in the center of the overhead console (big red knobs, cannot miss them... (I think they are big red switches on newer Boeing planes, but either way, you won't miss them...

Hmm, what else... that is about it...

landing and taking off, navigating, and such are harder, and of course being safe is awhole another matter, but for what they were trying to do, that is about it...

I've never flown a 767 of course, but I've taken the controls of a business jet before... not for take off or landing of course, just for simple turns and climes and such... was rather fun... I've flow single engine planes before, both my uncles own them... they were with me, and taught me the basics... Do I have a licence, no, but I don't do it much, and they are always there, and it is just VFR joyrides in empty airspace... (so sue me damm FAA...

Trust me, given very basic instruction, flying a modern airliner in the way they needed to do so is simple stupid...

Just don't hit the fuel dump switches...

Jason

 

[Vagrant]

I agree, flying is simple, landing is hard.
Our pilots take great delight in putting us airplane mechanics in the hot seat for a while in 727's, P3 Orions and C130's. Nothing to it, just like a great big automatic car, just steer it. Ive done a couple of approaches to Militery airfields, but never landed one, its easier with a pilot talking you thru the whole approach.
Using all the bells and whistles, that is way harder. From the Air Traffic control plot, it looked like the last plane got lost, going all the way west then a U turn back east.

 

[vegetation]

It's not that easy, really. I remember tinkering with FS many years ago, trying to crash into the Sears tower. It wasn't that easy. Many times I couldn't manuever well enough and missed it entirely -- I would have to comeabout and re-do it. Completely unacceptable scenario for a terrorist wanting to get a job done as quickly as possible.

 

[BUTCH1]

Well at least one of the hijackers had some flight training as the FBI has impounded a car with a bin laden
poster in it, the guy was a student at ERAU a areonauctical school about 2 miles from here, he was on
one of the flights...

 

[telstar1]

Did anybody ever think that maybe these guys already were pilots in their country?