[CedarDave]

Nice human-interest story. Do a keyword search for Continental Airlines for other stories on the incident.

[CedarDave]

For your PING list...

[Incorrigible]

Thankfully, Steve Brown didn't eat the fish that was served on that flight.

[ken5050]

Wonder how many frequent flyer miles Continental gives him for that..

[Issaquahking]

Nice to see a story about an American stepping up to the plate, and get some recognition for it. Nice Landing!

[Paleo Conservative]

If you want on or off my aerospace ping list, please contact me by Freep mail.

[Don Corleone]

Where was Doris Day when you needed her?

[GoldCountryRedneck]

"I suppose most private pilots daydream about this sort of scenario ...."

Note to self: Spend a few more hours with MicroSoft Flight Simulator ...

Seriously, the copilot-turned-Captain utilized excellent CRM (Cockpit Resource Management) by calling in re-enforcements (the Pilot/Passenger).

While smaller jets (Cessna Citation, Lear, etc) can be flown single-pilot, a 757 requires one person to handle 'housekeeping' (radios, GPS, checklists, etc) while the other actually flys the plane. The Passenger-now-Co-Pilot was assigned the 'housekeeping'.

Whether large (757) or small (Cessna 172), the standardization skills learned during flight training (procedures, air traffic protocols, in-cockpit routines, etc.) remain pretty much the same. It becomes a transferrable skill set.

I wasn't aware that a Private Pilot/passenger had been pressed into service, but the Captain showed good judgement by not allowing his own ego ("I can save the day all by my self") get in the way.

Both pilots, in my book, are "cool dudes"...

[Living Free in NH]

He then asked over the intercom whether there were any pilots on board.

And then a flight attendant made her way to the luggage compartment to retrieve clean, fresh underwear for the rest of the passengers.

[zipper]

"When I sat in the right seat, the captain looked at me and asked, 'When was the last time you flew?' '' he said. "I told him last week and he said, 'Good, you're current.'

He sat in the right seat, which means the former copilot had to vacate his seat, which means at some point there was a double seat-swap when NOBODY was flying the plane but the autopilot!