My instructions were that meal service was to end prior (giving the cabin crew 4-ish hours from T/O) to crossing the wx, and that we were not to be disturbed until we signaled that we were clear. I was always up front when I was junior, and learned that lesson when I got senior.. to be there as well. There would be plenty of time on the other side to rest, eat and deal with Dakar. The same for the reverse (southbound) leg.
Singpilot,
excellent post,
The measures you would take as a pilot during the crossing were very prudent. But do all pilots and all carriers do the same. At this time should these types of measures be mandatory?
Some of the F/O's I flew with took this area as seriously as I did, and some did not. I know I'll read/hear about the ones that did not someday.
Drawing a parallel, when the Titanic sank in 1912, no one knew exactly what failed on the ship that caused it to sink...in fact we are finding out new information to this day about equipment failures that led to the ships sudden demise.......But after the accident mandatory safety measures were instituted that helped avoid a repeat occurrence: more life boats, 24 hr wireless, change in traditional routes, etc.....
So even if we do not know exactly what happened, shouldn't we accept that certain procedures should be in place when crossing such severe areas? Procedures that are followed by all carriers........
If anything, there would be less questions and mystery if standard procedures had been in place.....