Sterile cockpit?

[rich_g85]

I've seen this term used a few times on here, just wondered if anyone could explain what it means?

I'm sure it's not meant in the medical sense, perhaps it's to do with when a flight is boarding and there's various staff going in and out of the flight deck with clipboards etc, then eventually the door is closed and it's time to go, no more interruptions.

[hunterboy]

no unnecessary talk below 10,000 feet

[mini-jumbo]

or 12,000ft (FL120) as I believe it is with EU-OPS.

[SNS3Guppy]

Sterile cockpit is more than no unnecessary conversation. Sterile cockpit procedure means nothing not related to safety of flight and operation of the aircraft. Sterile cockpit means keeping heads up when passing through hostpots on the taxiway, etc. No intrusions, no distractions, nothing unrelated to the operation of the aircraft. It's typically applies to all operations, ground or flight, below 10,000' except when stopped on a taxiway, or when in cruise.

[Localiser Green]

Below 18,000ft/FL180 in our company, including taxi in/out. No "activity or conversation" which could distract the crew from effective monitoring of critical phases of the flight, etc...

[philbky]

Just out of interest, how do companies which film cockpit videos get around the sterile cockpit rules and,come to that, around the jump seat rider security rules?

[SNS3Guppy]

Film what cockpits?

[philbky]

There is a raft of commercially filmed videos and DVDs showing flights including take offs and landings available.

[bucket_and_spade]

Most of those videos are quite old now and would have been filmed before many of the new rules/SOPs were in place. ITVV is the main company providing them.

[Sky Wave]

In most of these videos the pilot is explaining the things he/she is checking whilst performing the checks. So all they are doing is talking aloud whilst doing their normal routine.

Any detailed discussion about systems takes place in the cruise.

[adverse-bump]

Its not so much a rule as it is good airmanship. It can be requested by either crew member during times of high work load.

[SNS3Guppy]

In the US it's a rule. Federal regulation, actually...Code of Federal Regulations.

14 CFR 121.542:

§ 121.542 Flight crewmember duties.

(a) No certificate holder shall require, nor may any flight crewmember perform, any duties during a critical phase of flight except those duties required for the safe operation of the aircraft. Duties such as company required calls made for such nonsafety related purposes as ordering galley supplies and confirming passenger connections, announcements made to passengers promoting the air carrier or pointing out sights of interest, and filling out company payroll and related records are not required for the safe operation of the aircraft.

(b) No flight crewmember may engage in, nor may any pilot in command permit, any activity during a critical phase of flight which could distract any flight crewmember from the performance of his or her duties or which could interfere in any way with the proper conduct of those duties. Activities such as eating meals, engaging in nonessential conversations within the cockpit and nonessential communications between the cabin and cockpit crews, and reading publications not related to the proper conduct of the flight are not required for the safe operation of the aircraft.

(c) For the purposes of this section, critical phases of flight includes all ground operations involving taxi, takeoff and landing, and all other flight operations conducted below 10,000 feet, except cruise flight.

Note: Taxi is defined as “movement of an airplane under its own power on the surface of an airport.”