History Main / ImprobablePilotingSkills

* Kai Tak Airport, the former international airport of Hong Kong before it was replaced with a new airport elsewhere in 1998, ''mandated'' this for its unique [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Tak_Airport#Runway_13_approach Runway 13 approach]], known as the "Kai Tak Heart [[RhymesOnADime Attack]]." Due to airport being surrounded by hills, pilots would have to manually make the last leg of the approach, which includes a sharp right turn at less than 1,000 feet, exiting with less than 200 feet to spare, flying low enough for passengers and crew alike to get the cold sweats as they notice that they're low enough to even see into apartment windows. Doing this in strong winds was even worse, as turning naturally changes the wind direction relative to the plane, making it much harder to line up correctly in time to touch down on the runway.

* Kai Tak Airport, the former international airport of Hong Kong before it was replaced with a new airport elsewhere in 1998, ''mandated'' this for its [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Tak_Airport#Runway_13_approach Runway 13 approach]], known as the "Kai Tak Heart [[RhymesOnADime Attack]]." Due to the approach being surrounded by hills, pilots would have to manually make the last leg of the approach, which includes a sharp right turn at less than 1,000 feet, exiting with less than 200 feet to spare, flying low enough for passengers and crew alike to get the cold sweats as they notice that they're low enough to even see into apartment windows. Doing this in strong winds was even worse, as turning naturally changes the wind direction relative to the plane, making it much harder to line up correctly in time to touch down on the runway.

* Kai Tak Airport, the former international airport of Hong Kong before it was replaced with a new airport elsewhere in 1998, ''mandated'' this for its [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Tak_Airport#Runway_13_approach Runway 13 approach]], known as the "Kai Tak Heart [[RhymesOnADime Attack]]." Due to the approach being surrounded by hills, pilots would have to manually make the last leg of the approach, which includes a sharp right turn at less than 1,000 feet, exiting with less than 200 feet to spare, flying low enough for passengers and crew alike to get the cold sweats as they noticed that they were low enough to even see into apartment windows. Doing this in strong winds is even worse, as the wind direction relative to the plane naturally changes as the pilot completes that turn, making it much harder to line themselves up correctly in time to touch down on the runway.

This pilot has extremely high intelligence, has excellent 3D perception skills and can estimate distances, altitudes, times and velocities in a split second. He or she can perform mental calculations in a snap of fingers and estimate what kind of manoeuvres are needed to perform a certain feat. He or she is usually excellent on aerodynamics and what is possible and what not, and eager to take calculated risks which seem impossible for the laymen.

* In ''Film/StarTrekIVTheVoyageHome'', we see that 23rd century denizen, Sulu, is able to fly a 20th century helicopter with minimal difficulty. Helming a starship is hardly the same thing.

** In the Golden Age--before Diana had even sort of flight outside of the cockpit--Diana was capable of piloting her own admittedly advanced aircraft through impossible tasks, possibly helped along be the inclusion of the Amazon mental radio tech in the plane's piloting system. She was also able to pull off some impressive stunts in other planes, including piloting a heavily sabotaged plane so that it would be believable for her to survive the inevitable crash even as a baseline human.

-->-- '''Tycho Celchu''', ''[[ComicBook/XWingSeries Rogue Squadron]]''

** A simulation of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_akKKf2o3I this flight]] and many others are avaliable from YouTuber Xplane.

** ComicBook/SteveTrevor has lived up to his Ace Pilot status fairly spectacularly on multiple occasions including when having to pilot while his co-pilot was possessed and on fire, while in a plane crashing into the sea, and while in a plane being nearly torn apart by being ripped betwixt dimensions.

Do keep in mind, though, that TropesAreNotBad--''some'' of these can actually happen in RealLife ([[AluminumChristmasTrees and very much have]]).

*** The incident in which the pilot, Carlos Dardano, lost his eye also qualifies. Upon landing on a rural airstrip in El Salvador, Dardano inadvertantly ended up in the crossfire of the country's raging civil war and was shot in the face. Gravely injured and suddenly missing his eye, Dardano nonetheless got back in the cockpit of his plane and flew himself and his passengers 20 minutes to safety.

* The crew of [=FedEx=] Flight 705. Let us count the ways:

* An Israeli F-15 pilot, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LveSc8Lp0ZE&fmt=18 Zivi Nedivi]], refused to bail out after crashing with another plane during a training exercise, claiming he could still return his plane safely to base and land it. When he climbed out of the cockpit on the runway, he said he would not have hesitated to eject for a single second if he had know that he [[http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2091/2112723594_21abfbfcfc_o.jpg had lost an entire wing]]. When American technicans arrived to evaluate the damage, they assumed a truck had crashed into it while on the ground.

* [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]] exhibited improbable piloting skills in a few episodes of ''Anime/SonicX''. Episode 63 "Station Break-In" in particular. His antics behind the controls of the X-Tornado are wild and dangerous and include dodging pipes at breakneck speed and using the plane itself as a weapon rather than the plane's ammunition, much to Knuckles' displeasure. However, he has enough aviating skill ''by far'' to pull off these stunts with incredible fortitude and grace.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' of Creator/AAPessimal, Olga Romanoff has become Captain Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch Air Division and the Pegasus Service. The Air Division is probably the nearest thing Ankh-Morpork has to a combat Air Force, and is composed of witches with a particular interest and aptitude in flying. [[TheBaroness Olga]] realises that her deal with flight is like Jason Ogg's bargain with blacksmithing - if you aspire to be the greatest flying witch on the Discworld, then you have to be prepared to fly ''anything'', however ludicrous and pointless and potentially dangerous it is. Olga is therefore skilled in a dozen different types of broomstick, flying carpets, the {{Pegasus}}, the yarrow stalk of the elves, and the [[Babayaga mortar and pestle]] of her own [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} people]]. In her most recent appearance (July 2019), Olga has branched out into mastering heavy air-capable craft...[[Film/{{Dumbo}} Osibisi]]. Winged elephants.

** Though it ended with a crash that killed all but 4 passengers, the crew of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Airlines_Flight_123 Japan Airlines Flight 123]] managed to keep their 747 aircraft aloft for just over half an hour after the entire vertical stabilizer tore off and the hydrulic lines were completely severed. None of the simulator crews (who knew all of the factors affecting the plane, unlike the actual aircrew) could come close to that amount of time.

** Though it ended with a crash that killed all but 4 passengers, the crew of Japan Airlines Flight 123 managed to keep their 747 aircraft aloft for just over half an hour after the entire vertical stabilizer tore off. None of the simulator crews (who knew all of the factors affecting the plane, unlike the actual aircrew) could come close to that amount of time.
*** To add to this, the flight crew had no indication that the aircraft had suffered an ExplosiveDecompression, and therefore, were not wearing their oxygen masks. As a result, they were suffering from Hypoxia, which is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. Now just think about that for a second. This crew managed to keep a crippled 747 in the air for ''over 30 minutes'' when their brains weren't even able to function properly. That in itself is a major feet of aviation, and even though they died in the crash, they did their best to try and save everyone (even though their actions were only able to save four).

*** This is more improbable than it seems at first glance. Most commercial airline pilots would not know how to perform a forward slip. It just so happens that, prior to becoming an airline pilot, Bob Pearson was a glider pilot with a great deal of experience. The passengers were *really* lucky. If anyone else had been at the controls they would've crashed.

* In February 1941, Luftwaffe bomber wings were sent to Sicily to support the Italian Air Force and regain control of the Med from the British. A priority for the Germans was to sink the Royal Navy aircraft carriers whose aircraft had crippled the Italian fleet in its home port of Taranto. When HMS Illustrious was attacked in Grand Harbour, Malta, by ninety German aircraft, an antiquated Swordfish biplane was in the landing circuit and was practically the only British plane in the sky. As landing on the carrier was not practicable, the Swordfish set about being as big a nuisance as it could to the German attackers, despite being obsolescent and slow and outnumbered ninety to one. Exploiting its advantages of slow speed and greater mobility (the Swordfish flew so slowly that typical fighter aircraft over-shot or stalled trying to keep it in thewir sights for long enough), the pilot, Lieut-Commander Charles Lamb R.N., repeatedly disrupted bombing runs by Stukas, forcing them to bomb wide, while his air-gunner took whatever retaliatory shots he could. Lamb eventually realised, when the aircraft juddered and the whole port-side wing assembly flapped, that the retaining pin securing his port wings (used to fold them back and save space on board ship) had been shot away and the aircraft was on the point of folding up in mid-air. Incredibly, he was able to crash-land and both men survived, even though his biplane presented a lopsided appearance. Lamb, later in the war, shot down three Italian fighters in a single engagement, who appeared to consider an old obselete biplane easy meat..