Originally Posted by
DespairingTraveller
What that amounts to is an unequivocal statement that the aviation industry views every one of its FD crew as an unacceptably high safety risk if left alone.
Exactly, but let me qualify that.
There are many jobs where the risk to a lone worker is deemed so high that two people must be present. Now the risk from any event concerning a lone flight deck worker should have required a second person to be present regardless of this week's tragedy.
You could argue also that long haul 3-pilot operations should have a very experienced number 2, a bit like a ship's officers.