Passengers on the flight deck
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Came back to this thread to find all the replies.
Some added information, it was a european airline, but not a British one, not sure if I'm allowed to state which one on here. We were flying from spain to London Heathrow, I don't know where British airspace starts and obviously as a passenger don't know where we are anyway but there was someone in the cockpit for the landing at Heathrow so that would definitely be British airspace and there was someone in there as we started descent so I'd guess that was in British airspace too.
The ages of the 2 different people were estimated to be between 16 and 18.
As a passenger if you see this sort of thing going on who and how do you report to the relevant person/body what has happened on a flight, obviously after landing at your destination?
Some added information, it was a european airline, but not a British one, not sure if I'm allowed to state which one on here. We were flying from spain to London Heathrow, I don't know where British airspace starts and obviously as a passenger don't know where we are anyway but there was someone in the cockpit for the landing at Heathrow so that would definitely be British airspace and there was someone in there as we started descent so I'd guess that was in British airspace too.
The ages of the 2 different people were estimated to be between 16 and 18.
As a passenger if you see this sort of thing going on who and how do you report to the relevant person/body what has happened on a flight, obviously after landing at your destination?
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I don't know what you think you would achieve. Personally I would suggest that you just forget it and move on. FD visits are still the norm on many airlines. If you don't like it then don't fly with them in the future.
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A colleague told me that, long before 9/11 when it was encouraged for Captains to visit the cabin, he stopped and told a pretty young woman to go and talk to the 'bored' crew, at which the man in front asked if he too could visit the flight deck ? My friend did a bit of personal Racist Profiling and informed the man that it wasn't normally allowed, to which the response was, naturally, that he had just invited that young woman !
Reluctantly he took the man to back to the flight deck with him, and during the visit asked where he came from ? "I'm a Palestinian Arab, but we're not all idiots of course," was the reply !
He says he still has nightmares about the potential headline - Captain Invites Hijacker To The Flight Deck !!
I flew with one Captain who refused all visits, this is my Office he said, if I walked into the Bank, tipped my hat to a Teller and asked if I could watch the Manager at work, I'd get thrown out on my ear. He went on to say that we hold Surgeons, Judges, and other highly paid professions in some awe because we don't normally know what they actually do in their Operating Theatre or Chambers, so there is some mystique about their work, by only inviting passengers to the flight deck in the cruise, when most of us are sitting back drinking coffee, we make it look all too easy, so questions are asked about why we are paid the salary that we are, they never see us wrestling with a Cat III ILS approach into some difficult airfield in bad weather at night, "keep 'em guessing" was his attitude.
Whilst I don't entirely agree - I've had some interesting experiences as a result of allowing flight deck visits - he had a point.
Reluctantly he took the man to back to the flight deck with him, and during the visit asked where he came from ? "I'm a Palestinian Arab, but we're not all idiots of course," was the reply !
He says he still has nightmares about the potential headline - Captain Invites Hijacker To The Flight Deck !!
I flew with one Captain who refused all visits, this is my Office he said, if I walked into the Bank, tipped my hat to a Teller and asked if I could watch the Manager at work, I'd get thrown out on my ear. He went on to say that we hold Surgeons, Judges, and other highly paid professions in some awe because we don't normally know what they actually do in their Operating Theatre or Chambers, so there is some mystique about their work, by only inviting passengers to the flight deck in the cruise, when most of us are sitting back drinking coffee, we make it look all too easy, so questions are asked about why we are paid the salary that we are, they never see us wrestling with a Cat III ILS approach into some difficult airfield in bad weather at night, "keep 'em guessing" was his attitude.
Whilst I don't entirely agree - I've had some interesting experiences as a result of allowing flight deck visits - he had a point.
Last edited by YorkshireTyke; 1st Apr 2014 at 02:00.
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FD visits
Yes its very unfortunate that these restrictions now exist. A long time before 9/11 I worked in the office for a now defunct charter airline at LGW and flew on the flight deck all the time. On one particular occasion the Ops Manager saw me in the office before I went to check in and asked me to find a personal friend of his at check in and escort him up to the FD as he had FD clearance, which I proceeded to do. The guest naturally took the Flight Observer's seat behind the Capt. On receiving Take Off clearance I sat down on the bulkhead jump seat and put on the harness. The Capt. turned round and said that I couldn't see anything sitting there and that I should stand up and hold on to the back of his seat at which point we took off with a full load on a transatlantic. A very memorable departure!
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One year, back around 1990, BA decided that everyone who had already booked a flight on Shakespeare's birthday should fly free. I was lucky to be flying from Heathrow to Lisbon that day, and along with many other passengers had five minutes or so on the flight deck of a nearly-new B757.
I doubt if we will see it again, either the open invitation up front or the free flight!
I doubt if we will see it again, either the open invitation up front or the free flight!
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42 years ago whilst on a charter trip to the U.S. an announcement was made inviting anyone who wished to visit the flight
deck should just tell one of the cabin crew. Surprisingly only about 10 or so of us bothered
deck should just tell one of the cabin crew. Surprisingly only about 10 or so of us bothered
I was on a summer 1979 Jetsave CP Air charter to Canada (a DC8-60) where there an announcement that you could visit the cockpit and there was a queue going back half the length of the cabin. But I suspect that long haul charter flights are a special case. Also there may be a "herd" element involved.
Concorde charters used to carry a supernumerary captain to answer flightdeck visitors questions and let the crew get on with flying the plane.
I wish I could go back in time!
Concorde charters used to carry a supernumerary captain to answer flightdeck visitors questions and let the crew get on with flying the plane.
I wish I could go back in time!
Last edited by Peter47; 10th May 2014 at 19:02. Reason: Grammar & formating paragraphs, etc
