LLuCCiFeR & Roy Hudd,
"Panic Stricken Spotter". . . well 18500hr including 14500 in Command of 737, I think you are missing a trick there Roy.
I don't think having the flight deck floosie visit whilst my colleague takes a wass is in any ways indicative of a "nanny state".
I have on occasions being tucking into a sandwich whilst my colleague is gone, & happened upon the idea, what if you bloody choked on some of this lovely jamon serrano as you try to swallow a whole chunk as it is too tough to break, what if " simply" I passed out & slumped over the controls. The delay involved in opening the door with the code is fairly lengthy.
In most cases, the only simple action required of a CC is to open the door & let the other pilot in. In the crash of the Embraer the sound of knocking on the door could be heard on the CVR, if he had got in, he "may" have had time to save the day. In this case (ET) I doubt any CC would have sat there dumbly from Khartoum to GVA whilst the Capt was demanding via intercom & door thumping to be let back in.
I am all against nannying & yet more rules (for example I think it is farcical that I cannot have an off duty colleague , that I may have flown with on the previous sector, sitting on the jump seat , in uniform , whilst in UK airspace) but I think a policy involving accompaniment would be more positive than negative. . .except on those unfortunate days when all 4 CC are of the male gender
