overcrowded russian a/c

[keendog]

Is there any particular reason why so many Russian aircraft have been designed to be flown by 5,6 or more crew? Dodgy crew? Dodgy a/c or just a bid for full employment?

[ockham hold]

It goes back to the Soviet era promise of full employment in a worker's paradise. Buying something in a shop was a good example. You would ask to examine an article to buy. One shop assistant would take it down from the shelf. If you decided you wanted to buy it, this assistant would give you a chit to take to a cash desk. Here an assistant would take your chit and money and give you a receipt. You would then go to a third assistant hand over the receipt and she would hand it over.

[buck-rogers]

And have you noticed all those blokes in the hold pedaling like fury on take off!

[Unwell_Raptor]

I seem to remember a thread about this, connected to the fact than so many soviet-era transports had glazed nose panels. I think the theory was that fear of defection led to the employment of a politically reliable navigator, who just gave directions to the pilots. That way they had no need of maps. Then there was the bloke with the camera, for the odd occasions when the aircraft 'accidentally' strayed over a military area.

[Jim lovell]

Another reason there are so many flightdeck crew on the older Russian aircraft is probably due to the lack of sophisticated navigation systems(thus the requirement for a navigator). The IL-62 is basically steam driven/so is the TU-154. With the newer jets i don't think it applies