I've memorized the instruction manual for the Boeing 747 plane, and watched all their official training material. But I've never actually set foot in a cockpit or simulator. Care to be my first passenger on my maiden voyage?<p>The obvious problem here is semantic -- "experience" is often used, rightly or wrongly, as a stand-in for "knowledge". Plenty of kinds of knowledge are very difficult to aquire without experience. You can't read/watch your way to being a successful pilot, or rock climber, or leader.