pb365, as ATC with appropriate I/D, even though flying as revenue pax and with no advance coordination, I have been invited to the FD by the Captain at his own initiative. I'm not going to name the airlines but will confirm that all 3 companies I have had the experience with are respected European majors. I don't think that their captains would risk their careers for little old me. It's down to company policy. Recently, again on a major Western European carrier, I noted a young lady on the FD for take-off. She returned to her seat in the cruise. Turned out she was the F/O's girlfriend. And , even to my surprise because we were inbound to LAX, she went back for the approach and landing.
Last edited by Hotel Tango; 24th Jun 2013 at 19:07.