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Old 27th Mar 2015, 16:33
  #2053 (permalink)  
astroduffer
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
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Two in the cockpit

Perhaps I missed something, but as a retired air carrier pilot, and former Airbus driver, who just happened to be working on 9/11, I was under the impression that the requirement for a cabin crew-member to come to the flight deck in the event of one of the pilots having to leave the flight deck was primarily to look through the peep hole and verify who was trying to enter. It's true that on the "Bus," and other two pilot A/C, you can unlock the door without leaving your seat, but without CCTV, you can't actually check who is on the other side without getting out of the chair. Emergency entry code or no code!
Also it was FAR regulations that above FL250 when one of the pilots left their station the other had to be on and breathing oxygen. Above FL250 not only would you have to actually leave the seat but you would have to remove the mask. Of course "secret code" knocks were arranged to circumvent the regulation but the rule still was in place.
I don't recall it ever being mentioned that the purpose for the two on the flight deck rule was to have the F/A subdue the sole remaining pilot if he or she should go "over the edge."
As I recall the policy was crafted out of a concern that someone from the cabin might attempt to take advantage of a pilot leaving the Flight deck to somehow take control of the controls. Similar to the ban on congregation near the forward lav.

As I said, I might be mistaken. It wouldn't have been the first time I was daydreaming when something relevant was discussed in ground school.
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