toon
If you thought it through you would realise that ATC fam flights take place "once a blue moon" because the requirement for them is minimal. Incidentally, the rules have allowed for ATCO's to have fam flights for at least 18 months and they have happening quietly - all it required was the Flight Ops director's permission.. You will see from today''s DfT direction that they are amongst the approved persons - so that ends that debate.
As to having your wife/ children / parents / partner / mate / latest conquest etc on the jump seat, I would like to know where you would draw the line and how it could be monitored. Remember that
pre-9/11 the US were supposed to only allow license holders with a valid ID but that system degenerated into anyone who wanted access. I suggest that this defeats the object of having a secure flight deck.
Your comments about spyholes is only relevant to aircraft that are not fitted with cameras ; cameras are the DfT (and the CAA's ) preferred solution. The idea of secret knocks and coded messages is much less secure. Sadly this is the Boeing solution which is being pushed by airlines which are loathe to spend the money fitting cameras.
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It's about time we as proffesional pilots could take a stand against this type of nonsense, it has got to the point that the DTR are so obsessed with granny off to Spain gaining access to the flight deck that they themselves are compromising flight saftey
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Given this weekend's terrorist enquiries in the Midlands with on-going investigations, I am surprised at any professional pilot's resistance to the current attempts to keep British aviation safe.
Anne
