History Main / FallingIntoTheCockpit

*** Banagher Links, who fought his first battle essentially [[SuperpoweredEvilSide on autopilot]].

* Discussed and ultimately averted ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover. The younger Maya (ItMakesSenseInContext) ''wants'' to do this, but neither [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Admiral Nimitz]] nor [[CoolBigSis Samantha Shepard]] are about to stick an inexperienced youngster into an advanced starfighter without at least some semblance of training lest her first time out become a SuicideMission. By the time she's allowed to pilot a SpaceFighter, she's already trained properly.

* Averted in ''Manga/BreakBlade''. Rygart was a gifted student in the military academy who couldn't operate a golem because he is an Unsorcerer; he suddenly has to pilot an ancient Golem he can use.

** Downplayed with Luke in ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]'', who had only piloted civilian craft before ending up flying a starfighter at a decisive battle--though he was studying to enter the Space Academy, he had not yet attended it. The ExpandedUniverse elaborates that an X-Wing's controls aren't that different from the [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/T-16_skyhopper Incom T-16 Skyhopper]], the "crop duster"-type aircraft Luke has been flying that is seen parked in his garage in the film. (In the original trilogy novels, he's been grounded from it by his uncle for reckless flying, which was why he took the landspeeder when looking for R2. He is also seen playing with a model of it the first time he's talking to the two droids.) When he talks of "tagging womp rats", he's referring to aerial target practice. He is also endorsed by a friend who ''is'' a regular Rebel pilot.

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory'' has Kou Uraki take the Gundam Zyphranthes in response to the GrandTheftPrototype of the Gundam Physalis by Anavel Gato. He's a junior pilot and well out of his league, but the Zyphranthes didn't have a designated pilot yet and after the initial scuffle was over the following couple of episodes was based around others in his detachment fighting to take it away from him.

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' is a broad aversion, the five Gundam pilots are knowledgeable in handling mobile suits well before becoming pilots. At first it seems that they were all the first selection but it's revealed that several, Trowa particularly, more or less stole their Gundams in part due to the machinations of the Gundam creators in opposition to the intended "[[ColoyDrop Operation Meteor]]."

** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemories'' has Kou Uraki take the Gundam Zyphranthes in response to the GrandTheftPrototype of the Gundam Physalis by Anavel Gato. He's a junior pilot and well out of his league, but the Zyphranthes didn't have a designated pilot yet and after the initial scuffle was over the following couple of episodes was based around others in his detachment fighting to take it away from him.

* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
** More or less happens with Amuro Ray in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''... who later is revealed to be a "Newtype". Of course, in addition to being a tech geek to the point he could build his own RobotBuddy (Haro), [[HandWave he got a hold of the Gundam's manual just before he even saw the robot.]] And the thing was largely designed by his father. --Still, in his first battle he could barely move it, and won mostly because its advanced armor stood up to everything the mook suit pounded it with.

** Dingo Egret is actually an experienced pilot by the time he finds Jehuty. Dingo however was asked if he would like a refresher VR training program since it was several years since he piloted a military grade frame (He was using LEVs until he found Jehuty)

Widely used in {{Mecha Show}}s. A SubTrope of PowersInTheFirstEpisode and StumbledIntoThePlot.

* It's rare, but there have been [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk-down_aircraft_landing a few cases over the years]] where a passenger has had to take control of a small plane after a sole pilot became incapacitated in some way. (The only known instance of this with a heavy aircraft involved a [[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/off-duty-pilot-lands-plane-saves-3640802 military pilot]] who was assisted by the plane's original copilot.)

* ''Film/StarWars'':

* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/Titanfall2''. While the player character was not an officially trained Titan pilot, by the time they end up with their own Titan they've received ''unofficial'' training from their mentor, Captain Lastimosa.

* Hirono Keita from ''Anime/{{Betterman}}''. Not only fits the trope to a T; he almost literally falls into the cockpit of the mecha, and happens to be a Dual Type, able to pilot it.

* In ''Film/{{Airplane}}'', Ted Striker is a former Air Force fighter pilot with a [[ShellShockedVeteran severe neurosis]] about flying. When he musters his courage to get on a jet airliner to chase after his girlfriend, he turns out to be the only one aboard with any flying experience after the pilots all succumb to food poisoning. It doesn't help that the airline officer assigned to talk him down happens to have been his commander during The War.

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has Harry pilot a Quinjet, evading missiles, and does pretty damn well. This is explained as a mixture of Harry's raw talent in flying, and the fact that per WordOfGod, aircraft are actually surprisingly easy to fly... once they're actually in the air. Take off and landing are a very different story.

* ''Fanfic/ChildrenOfAnElderGod'': When Matarael and its spawn came along and invaded the city Shinji was dragged along to the Evangelion Unit 01 and ordered to pilot it. Later he describes the episode to Asuka and she is flabbergasted -since he piloted an Eva without prior training- and horrified -since nobody informed him of the risks (most people die or go mad when they try to pilot one)-.

* In US version, the hero of ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'' just finds a machine lying around there.

* Discussed and ultimately averted ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''MassEffect''[=/=]''StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover. The younger Maya (ItMakesSenseInContext) ''wants'' to do this, but neither [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Admiral Nimitz]] nor [[CoolBigSis Samantha Shepard]] are about to stick an inexperienced youngster into an advanced starfighter without at least some semblance of training lest her first time out become a SuicideMission. By the time she's allowed to pilot a SpaceFighter, she's already trained properly.

* ''Series/PowerRangers'':

** In ''Anime/ZoidsChaoticCentury'', the first series in Japan and the UK, Van comes across an abandoned Shield Liger in the desert, but would not have been able to pilot it were it not for [[ABoyAndHisX his robot companion]] [[MacGuffin Zeke's]] help. Unlike many examples of this trope, he keeps piloting it not because others make him, or because only he can, but because the [[HumongousMecha Zoid]] belongs to him, having previously been abandoned.

* It's rare, but there have been [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk-down_aircraft_landing a few cases over the years]] where a passenger has had to take control of a small plane after a sole pilot became incapacitated in some way.

** ''Anime/MazingerZ'': The first HumongousMecha anime used this trope showed it [[UnbuiltTrope in a more realistic way than later shows]]. Kouji Kabuto, the first HumongousMecha pilot, knew absolutely nothing about piloting a giant robot -or any manner of robot, really- and in the first few episodes [[SubvertedTrope it shows]]. Mazinger went on a rampage the first time he activated it because he kept punching random buttons as he tried to learn controling the damned thing (in the original manga he almost destroyed one whole city; and in the anime he almost gets his little brother killed), and he got beaten in his first battles. Sayaka and her father did their best to teach him quickly, but until then he only survived due to Mazinger's impressive weaponry and sturdy body armor... and Kouji soon revealed he was a quick-thinker that could come up with new strategies on the fly.

Widely used in {{Mecha Show}}s. A SubTrope of PowersInTheFirstEpisode.

* Averted in 'Manga/BreakBlade''. Rygart was a gifted student in the military academy who couldn't operate a golem because he is an Unsorcerer; he suddenly has to pilot an ancient Golem he can use.