was thinking of a BA VC10 on which all four engines went terribly quiet one day in the cruise...HKK - BKK? ..rumour had it that the Capt and F/E were each fiddling with the engine settings without either realising they were both at it, or something like that....and didn't the BA VC10 fleet not use intercom because the F/E might interrupt a transmission?
The F/E, so the story went on, then performed a miracle getting one started using a drop down generator, then starting another from that, then another.....
I recall this incident- I was flying BA VC10 at the time. Near TOD Tokyo, F/E feeding all engines from one tank- inevitable happened, subsequently positively banned (when you have 5 or 6 tanks whatever it was!). ELRAT (electrical ram air turbine) pulled out to restore electrics (all that was needed as VC10 used power control units for flight controls)- which disintegrated after 2 minutes. Following short gliding experience, engines restarted one by one, only pride dented- sent home in chains. Captain couldn't really fiddle with anything as F/E had ALL engine controls. One didn't dare touch anything in F/Es department!
VC10 didn't use intercom because like DC9/MD80 series, flight deck silent! Engines at back- no need of intercom. BA traditionally flew one ear off.
Quite honestly chaps, having flown 747-400 for 8 years, and 737 for 8 years prior to that, and 747-200 with 3 FD crew for 10 years prior to that, I am just as happy with a 2 pilot operation as ever with a 3 crew operation. We integrated 2, 3 and 4 pilot operation into the 747-400 as required for sector length, so heavy, long rangeand tired, you had the extra pilot/s. With a big world wide schedule, it might have been complicated to roster that, but BA did it OK and well. Long range ops like Asia/Australia, 4 pilots would depart, 2 would continue shorter range to Australia, 2 would turn around and come home. It worked well, and no pilots were left building up and gradually being forgotten in BKK (unfortunately) or SIN!