Australian Student Pilot On First Flight Lesson Forced To Make Emergency Landing After Instructor Passes Out
A 29-year-old student pilot in Australia had the most memorable first flight lesson any student pilot has ever had.
Max Sylvester, a 29-year-old Student Pilot from Australia, had to make an emergency landing all by himself after his instructor passed out during his first flight lesson.
Miracle landing by Perth student pilot
Hear the moment a student pilot was forced to make an emergency landing, when his instructor passed out in their plane.#7NEWS
Posted by 7NEWS Perth on Sunday, 1 September 2019
Max was out in the skies for the first time in a 2-seater aircraft when Robert Mollard, a flight instructor, fell unconscious just after an hour into the flight.
This was the first-ever flight lesson of Max in this plane, but overall, this was his 3rd lesson.
Max Sylvester, who is married and has 3 children, had his family watching him when he was on the plane.
When Robert, the instructor, passed out, Max rang the air traffic control in Western Australia and explained what happened.
During his com with the air traffic control, Max said, “He’s leaning over my shoulder, I’m trying to keep him up but he keeps falling down.”
The controller then asked Max is he could “operate the airplane”.
Max replied with “This is my first lesson.”
After roaming around 1 hour in the air, the air traffic controller kept Sylvester calm and guided him through the emergency landing.
Throughout the com, the controller said, “You’re doing a really great job. I know this is really stressful. But you’re going to do an amazing job and we’re going to help you get down to the ground.”
The controller continued to encourage the student and praised him for doing well and for not panicking.
Max jokingly replied, “Well, my flight instructor did say I was the best student he’d had.”
After spending over an hour hovering above the Jandakot Airport, Max managed to land safely.
Many called Max a hero, but he said he was just a student pilot who did what he had to do.
Max said, “I am just a student pilot doing what we’ve been trained to do. What kept me alive was my study. That definitely saved me. If I hadn’t have studied, we wouldn’t be here – it is as simple as that.”
Robert Mollard, the flight instructor, was rushed to a hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Robert Mullard is an instructor from the Air Australia International Flying School. Mullard was born in Australia.
Max said he went to visit Robert after he was brought to the hospital.
When asked about the health conditions of the instructor, he did not comment.