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by pjc50 2639 days ago
Naive question, but is the plane actually possible to fly in "manual"?
3 comments

The 737 is still mostly 1960s technology, despite all the tweaks over the years. With autopilot off, autothrottle off, and electric trim disabled, which is the situation the Ethopian pilots would have ended up in from following the checklists, all the main flight controls are entirely manual. Only the engine FADECs can't be turned off, and you wouldn't want to because modern engines rely on computised controls.
Not sure about that particular plane, but it should be. Contrary to jet fighters they are made to be aerodynamically stable.

You can fly (glide) them and even land with most systems switched off, including engines and main power.

https://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-fly/aerodynamics/3-types...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_9