I am not sure about this. What if AF nominates IFR? In the worst case scenario the 600h on type F/O would have been in the RHS and the 2600h one in the LHS... What if AF stipulates that only the RH seated F/O can be in command...
The cheese holes could have been very much aligned even before the systems started to fail...
I would appreciate if an AF colleague can enlighten us about what actually are the SOPs and how stringently are they applied
Swish,
I can't state exactly what AF's procedure is, but there's no carrier that I'm aware of that would permit the scenario you describe. In a heavy crew, aside from the PIC one of the other pilots will be trained and designated as a "Relief" or "Cruise" captain. This pilot may be either another qualified captain or a senior F/O trained to hold a cruise captain qualification. In some carriers all pilots holding the F/O position are trained to this standard with the augmenting crew members coming from a lower seniority group specifically tasked to fly as relief pilots.
In the AF case it would appear that it was a senior F/O who held a cruise captain type of qualification. In any event, it would be this pilot, not the 600 hr. F/O who would be in charge during the PIC's absence. Decision making authority in the cockpit is not handed to the least qualified crewmember simply on the basis of the seat he is occupying.
ELAC
And I might mention further that I know a good number of relief pilots who are in fact very well qualified and capable pilots with significant command experience. The position a pilot holds on the flight is not in itself an indication of his experience or abilities.