Strange tricks

[MarillionFan]

He was actually "flying" the simulator, but as with all modern aircraft virtually everything is automated. All he really had to do was turn off the autopilot, hold the stick steady, and flick a couple of switches when he was told to. If they'd been willing to let him try it with a real plane he would have been all right

The "smoke from the next room" thing is one of the classic experiments demonstrating the bystander effect. I'd be shoving the others out of the room shouting "Get a move on you dozy twunts, the place is on fire!" which is why I wouldn't have got on the programme

Yeah right!

You'd be on your iPhone trying to find an internet link to what type of fire extinguisher you could use!

[NickFitz]

Yeah right!

You'd be on your iPhone trying to find an internet link to what type of fire extinguisher you could use!

Probably

The other night a mate of mine was having trouble with his new phone down the pub - it'd been turned off, and he'd spent about half an hour trying various combinations of buttons to turn it back on. I could have taken it off him and looked for the power button, but instead I asked what model it was and downloaded the manual from Samsung's web site

[d000hg]

He was actually "flying" the simulator, but as with all modern aircraft virtually everything is automated. All he really had to do was turn off the autopilot, hold the stick steady, and flick a couple of switches when he was told to. If they'd been willing to let him try it with a real plane he would have been all right

For normal flying I'm sure that's right, but landing is still the domain of human control isn't it? Or is even that full of automation now?

[NickFitz]

For normal flying I'm sure that's right, but landing is still the domain of human control isn't it? Or is even that full of automation now?

Yep, when it works...