What is this trend of men thinking they can land a plane if there is a problem?

" He who believes in himself leads others ." This quote from Horace seems to have inspired many men whose virility has been expressed in dozens of social media posts in recent weeks.

" In an emergency, would you know how to land a plane? " a woman's voice says at the beginning of each video.

To this question, the answer to which might seem negative, or at least require a detailed reflection leading to the recognition of one's own incompetence (not everyone can be an airline pilot), most of the men interviewed in the videos answer in the affirmative.

And it is the reactions, hilarious and incredulous, which contribute to the comical nature of this trend.

"But they're joking, it's not possible."

" There are people who study for years for this, they think they can make a plane like that ", " As a student pilot NO they can't ", " but they're joking it's not possible ", " And then he mansplains on top of that ": on TikTok and Instagram, internet users are stunned and amused.

While this trend may raise a smile, it actually originates from an American survey published in 2023 by the YouGov institute.

When asked " How confident are you in your ability to safely land an airliner in an emergency situation, relying solely on assistance from air traffic control? ", 20% of male respondents said they felt " very confident " or " fairly confident " (26%).

A gap with the women's responses: only 7% felt confident " very confident " and 13% " fairly confident ."

So, a question of ego or a real possibility?

"Oversized ego"

" Already, airline pilot training lasts around three years after high school and you need around ten years of additional experience to become a captain ," explains Yann Lardet, interviewed by Ouest-France .

Adding that " someone who got up one morning and wanted to land an Airbus would certainly find themselves in difficulty ."

For Christian Grijalvo, a psychologist specializing in male behavior, " If some men think this, it is due to a somewhat oversized ego and a certain trivialization of the profession ," reports Le Parisien .

" What is certain is that if the passenger takes the controls alone, it's doomed ," agrees Paul Dupuy, an airline pilot at Air France.

That should put an end to the debate.