Given the outcome of the emergency, that the aircraft landed safely, and the incapacitated captain got medical help, I find it incredible that a few here appear to second-guess the decisions made by the pilot in command. If you would do it differently in your cockpit, it's your decision, and if you would have landed the aircraft safely all alone thats fine, but in this case it wasn't you, and you weren't there. It should be possible to have a debate about what decisions to make and why, in a hypothetical situation, but not without a bit of respect for those who have actually been there and successfully managed such a situation. As a professional courtesy, acknowledging that your colleague did well would not hurt, even if you think you would have chosen a different course of action. Labelling a fellow professionals' decision as a "mistake" seems a bit harsh and unnecessary in this case.
As for (company) regulations, they can't possibly cover every situation in all detail. They are there for a reason, and should be adhered to strictly, yet there should be wiggle room for a pic to deviate if he deems it justified in an emergency. If there is a policy to only let pilots from your own outfit assist in case of incapacitation, maybe it's because assessing exactly which other pilots could be qualified to assist would require an additional 20 pages (with the input of lawyers and insurance companies), and that is beyond the scope of a practical decision make guideline. Imagine you are in her situation, you ask for pilots, and there's "only" an experienced heavy jet driver coming forth, who has flown into the airport you are about to land at before (not the freshly type rated inhouse mpl cadet the regulations would - theoretically - allow). You're obviously fully qualified yourself, but you'd appreciate someone to handle checklists and atc, and possibly an extra pair of eyes.
If the pilot in command, there and then, decided that the Lancer pilot would be of help, I think that can be justified. It's not completey unreasonable.
Last edited by deptrai; 8th Jun 2014 at 18:24.