Operators demand that aircraft manufacturers produce the smallest tubes for the greatest number of passengers, to the extent that is as legal as possible. This expectation and the resultant aircraft design has resulted in a situation where staff members, who can legally spend 13 hours per day in the same aircraft, have to share bathroom facilities with hundreds of paying customers.
Obviously, the only genuine reason a flight crew member might have for leaving the flight deck mid-flight is to visit the toilet. Now, I'm not normally the type that is driven back to the drawing board based on a single very rare event, but this industry needs a kick up the backside because they got it wrong in the first place. Safety is paramount they constantly remind is, but so is the safety of flight crew. Safety for flight crew ensures general flight safety, so why did we not think about this in the beginning?
Any single cockpit door entry design is going to have limitations, pros and cons. I’m proposing that legislation requires aircraft manufacturers to install a separate toilet for flight crew on any aircraft that carries over 100 passengers. Additional advantages are that you get a sort of air lock system (correct term?) so that a flight attendant walking into the flight deck never results in a situation where a would be nutter could make a charge. The first door would operate exactly as it does today. No need to change the function or procedures. The toilet would be accessible immediately after entering this door. The second door, by design would allow a flight crew member to exit and enter as he pleases using a door entry card or other pin based system (that is for finer detail). Additionally, the remaining flight crew member would have the option to open either door independently but never force lock the second door. As long as the flight crew never venture past the first door, safety would be assured.
It’s a radical idea and it’s bold. Most of you have no way of seeing how this is feasible today. I agree it’s not, not today. But by starting now, we might be able to address the security concerns of the future.