Originally Posted by
AerialPerspective
One of the reasons ground personnel are instructed to remain and ensure stairs and other GSE are manned is in case the aircraft encounters an issue on pushback and I was always taught precisely what you stated that once the aeroplane moves under its own power that's when it starts. My question would have been "when does the CVR start operating then, while the Captain is still in the crew room???"
I'm not sure how that ties in with the reality (starting a few years ago) at a certain well-known local airline, where domestic ground staff would disappear as soon as the bridge was off the aircraft, and have to go scurrying off to another gate.