Ok, this probably is a really stupid question, but here it goes anyway: in case of an emergency, someone who plays x-plane (or flight simulator) has any chance of flying a real aircraft?
Patrick Smith (who flies commercially for a living, and writes the excellent Salon column 'Ask The Pilot') has issued an open challenge to any and all sim enthusiasts (with deep pockets).
He claims that any non-actual-pilot will be unable to land a commercial airliner in a full-motion simulator, given the controls mid-cruise. Whoever loses the bet gets to pay for the simulation time (ouch!).
If I had the money, I would take his challenge in a heart beat! I am open to accepting funding ;)
Does that challenge allow for landing the plane on ILS autopilot? Because I've done that multiple times in X-Plane using the highly complicated x737 addon package, and I would imagine that the ability to correctly operate the autopilot is far more important in that sort of situation.
I think it would make things a bit easier. You won't be greasing landings but familiarity with controls and instruments would be a plus.
One of the things I remember when first starting was the sheer amount of "stuff" going on in a plane that I had to worry about. For example taking off you've got maintaining the center line/winds (aileron position) checking engine instruments, radio calls, speed, and traffic. Having seen some of these components virtually may alleviate some of that head spinning that goes on. You'd know what flaps are, and when they are usually used, you'd know what a flare is (and that you didn't need 37 pieces of it).
You would also have exposure to various IFR procedures commonly used in the real world, most useful being ILS, which can line up your aircraft with the runway and put you on the correct glide slope, and even land the plane.
I would also suspect you would have a bit of a confidence boost (that is if you're optimistic), something like "I've put a 737-700 on the blocks hundreds of times in MSFS/x plane - how hard can it be?"
Of course this is all wild speculation, and the odds of an "Airplane" scenario are pretty small.
Sorry, but the chances of this are minuscule. However, there is a chance and it depends on their mental state, how much they've flown the simulator, what types of maneuvers they've practiced and how closely it matches to the actual aircraft. One thing that would vastly improve your odds is getting ahold of a flight instructor or another pilot via the radio.
One thing a pilot is never allowed to do, is give up (no matter what); and neither should you if caught in a survival scenario.
If this is a real concern for you, check out something like the AOPA Pinch Hitter's Course, which can teach someone to land an airplane during an emergency with only minimal flight training. See http://www.avweb.com/news/safety/183024-1.html
If your question is more along the lines of "does a simulator make an acceptable substitute for an aircraft?", the answer must be no. Simulators are really only useful as a supplement to actual flight experience and training.
First officers of larger aircraft do their training in a sim - it's just not feasible to do solo pattern work in a 737.
With enough time in a realistic aerodynamic model + cockpit setup, on a modern aircraft (that has a high degree of automation already), in favorable weather conditions and a long // wide enough runway I think it's probable you could fly the bird to a safe landing.
He claims that any non-actual-pilot will be unable to land a commercial airliner in a full-motion simulator, given the controls mid-cruise. Whoever loses the bet gets to pay for the simulation time (ouch!).
If I had the money, I would take his challenge in a heart beat! I am open to accepting funding ;)