View Poll Results: What is the hygene state of your flight deck?
I am a professional pilot and my flight deck is filthy
470
43.56%
I am a professional pilot and my flight deck is clean
287
26.60%
I am NOT a professional pilot but I felt like taking part in this poll anyway
322
29.84%
Voters: 1079. This poll is closed
'Filthy' flight decks
Resident insomniac
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: N54 58 34 W02 01 21
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>CRM - COUNT the RINGS MATE!
>This is my cockpit, you are a resource, prepare to be managed.
********************************
But have you got scrambled egg?
>This is my cockpit, you are a resource, prepare to be managed.
********************************
But have you got scrambled egg?
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: EU
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What's all the fuss about chaps.....that's why airlines employ trolley-dollies!
They keep my male pax in order -
They keep FO and I amused -
They come with fluids etc -
....and they clean up the FD whilst George drives and we stretch our legs.
Some of them even look nice!
They keep my male pax in order -
They keep FO and I amused -
They come with fluids etc -
....and they clean up the FD whilst George drives and we stretch our legs.
Some of them even look nice!
LOL to three greens. In my outfit, being a small company, we leave "dirty notes" to any coworkers who leave crap behind in the cocckpit. As a result, we all clean up behind us when we leave the aircraft after a duty period.
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Monrovia / Liberia
Age: 63
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During the last two days I flew upon two different aircraft in our fleet and, in each of them, the level of 'dust' (i.e. dead skin, etc) that was settled upon the surfaces of the FlightDeck was appalling !
Now I'm all for clearing up after oneself, e.g. all trash goes into a Flight Deck gash bag (which we'll also remove when the flying's completed), along with tidying lapstraps, stowing arm rests, putting Jepps away, etc, but I simply don't have the means at hand to also clean and hoover the flightdeck.
Nb. If only for my own benefit (and a for small fee
) I would be prepared - on the longer sectors - to do a bit of spring-cleaning (subject to the provision of a soft brush and a small portable hoover).
Aside - To prove what I mean, I'll take some pics on my next flight (Saturday) and post them here ( though hopefully by then d'management - which I know reads PPRuNe - will have done something about this filth ).
In any event I very much doubt that our office-bound 'team members'
would put up with the same level of 'dust' & filth in their working environment.
Now I'm all for clearing up after oneself, e.g. all trash goes into a Flight Deck gash bag (which we'll also remove when the flying's completed), along with tidying lapstraps, stowing arm rests, putting Jepps away, etc, but I simply don't have the means at hand to also clean and hoover the flightdeck.
Nb. If only for my own benefit (and a for small fee
) I would be prepared - on the longer sectors - to do a bit of spring-cleaning (subject to the provision of a soft brush and a small portable hoover).Aside - To prove what I mean, I'll take some pics on my next flight (Saturday) and post them here ( though hopefully by then d'management - which I know reads PPRuNe - will have done something about this filth ).
In any event I very much doubt that our office-bound 'team members'
would put up with the same level of 'dust' & filth in their working environment.
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Wybacrik
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So tell me Cole, and others...
this "dead skin and dust" etc...
how does one recognise it?...
I mean, I spent 40 yrs in cockpits, how come we didn't have these problems in my days?
Like, do you lot these days shed skin like snakes, lizards etc??
this "dead skin and dust" etc...
how does one recognise it?...
I mean, I spent 40 yrs in cockpits, how come we didn't have these problems in my days?
Like, do you lot these days shed skin like snakes, lizards etc??
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: uk
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Thats the trouble with the beach fleets and all that time sunning down route. The peeling skin has to go some where. 
Those office waller's suffer, apart from the odd nasel discard, only dust from shuffling papers and sharpening those pencils
Those office waller's suffer, apart from the odd nasel discard, only dust from shuffling papers and sharpening those pencils
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: HON121º/14 NM
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Having not read the whole thread (there is quite alot of it), but it would seem to me that the office wallahs would probably turn around and go home if their office wasn't cleaned every evening by the contract cleaners, so why can't we have our flight decks cleaned?
At the last company I flew with the 'cleaners' wouldn't even clean the heads at the end of the day's shift. Well, they did, or said they did, but actually all they did was to empty a can of (so called) air freshener into the toilet cubicle. The aeroplane then stank of rancid heads and cheap air freshener, instead of just rancid heads. I realised that getting the flight deck cleaned was a leap of astronomic proportions if we couldn't get the heads cleaned.... I don't know quite why we put up with it, but for some stupid reason we do.
At the last company I flew with the 'cleaners' wouldn't even clean the heads at the end of the day's shift. Well, they did, or said they did, but actually all they did was to empty a can of (so called) air freshener into the toilet cubicle. The aeroplane then stank of rancid heads and cheap air freshener, instead of just rancid heads. I realised that getting the flight deck cleaned was a leap of astronomic proportions if we couldn't get the heads cleaned.... I don't know quite why we put up with it, but for some stupid reason we do.
I have also heard of an occasion where the aircraft went off the side of the runway because some pillock had left an empty Coca Cola can underneath the nosewheel steering tiller and it jammed.
By the way, not only do we clean up after ourselves but we fit loose (plastic/leather) covers over the flight deck seats after flight so that the maintenance guys can sit down without having to worry about how much grease their bums have inherited during a long night of hard work.
It only takes a couple of minutes and it works well.
By the way, not only do we clean up after ourselves but we fit loose (plastic/leather) covers over the flight deck seats after flight so that the maintenance guys can sit down without having to worry about how much grease their bums have inherited during a long night of hard work.
It only takes a couple of minutes and it works well.
Join Date: May 2004
Location: sussex
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Filthy flight decks
Just be careful cleaning your own flight. I wasn't.
Very bored somewhere between Berlin and the Canaries when I thought I'd use a 'hot towel' to wipe around the radios. It went very quiet for half an hour or so!
Very bored somewhere between Berlin and the Canaries when I thought I'd use a 'hot towel' to wipe around the radios. It went very quiet for half an hour or so!
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Micro Sleeping in Flight Deck
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I must say im surprised at the response of this thread. Given the more important issues of fatigue, pay, conditions, intimidation, chapter 11 resulting paycuts and pensions, etc .. this thread will surpass them all in responses.
And I know I now are included in these responses.
Pilots should clean up their rubbish, throw away empty cups, wipe any spilled coffee in the cup holders after flight.
Only selfishness and arrogance would preclude this.
However they do not have time before flight to do spring cleaning with a vacuum cleaner, and should not be required to. Cleaners come on the aircraft to do that before each sector.
I would not be opposed to using a dustbuster in the long cruise sectors, but would it be wise to poke around the controls and equipment during flight.
Over and above the wipeing of screens by pilots, and vacumming by cleaners, the flight deck should be thoroughly spring cleaned in the hangar during each check, whether by engineers or cleaners cautioned over the care required with expensive equipment and risked of blocked or damaged controls.
And I know I now are included in these responses.
Pilots should clean up their rubbish, throw away empty cups, wipe any spilled coffee in the cup holders after flight.
Only selfishness and arrogance would preclude this.
However they do not have time before flight to do spring cleaning with a vacuum cleaner, and should not be required to. Cleaners come on the aircraft to do that before each sector.
I would not be opposed to using a dustbuster in the long cruise sectors, but would it be wise to poke around the controls and equipment during flight.
Over and above the wipeing of screens by pilots, and vacumming by cleaners, the flight deck should be thoroughly spring cleaned in the hangar during each check, whether by engineers or cleaners cautioned over the care required with expensive equipment and risked of blocked or damaged controls.
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: East Sussex
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Some of you guy's & girl's have hit the nail on the head when it comes to a/c cleaners doing the cockpit.
As an ex cleaner I can tell you it is scary stuff in there and we did have one new guy who wishing to impress his supervisor took it upon himself to spray all the nice switchs and guages liberally with a mild cleaning fluid solution!
Coming out of the cockpit with a large and satisfied grin on his face he was met by an engineer who asked "what the bloody hell he had been doing" and upon receiving the answer promptly grounded the a/c for 24 hours!
Cleaning of cockpits should be a specialized job but I do agree pilots should clean up after themselves with regard to papers/food etc.
Just to add although I am an ex cleaner I was not the new guy I mentioned above.HONEST.
As an ex cleaner I can tell you it is scary stuff in there and we did have one new guy who wishing to impress his supervisor took it upon himself to spray all the nice switchs and guages liberally with a mild cleaning fluid solution!
Coming out of the cockpit with a large and satisfied grin on his face he was met by an engineer who asked "what the bloody hell he had been doing" and upon receiving the answer promptly grounded the a/c for 24 hours!
Cleaning of cockpits should be a specialized job but I do agree pilots should clean up after themselves with regard to papers/food etc.
Just to add although I am an ex cleaner I was not the new guy I mentioned above.HONEST.
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Netherlands
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I would not be opposed to using a dustbuster in the long cruise sectors, but would it be wise to poke around the controls and equipment during flight.
Hmmmm, ladida, well this goes rather nicely <SHRAAAKKK> Whoops, there go the FMC buttons.
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Sweden
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My airline doesn´t have the money to hire someone to tidy up, so you may all just imagine what happens when the "freight dogs" rocks during flight and all crap lifts from the floor and panels? :-) I get surprise every time of what sorts of things I find...
Not to mention all dirt and germs flying around... There is then no surprise in that some pilots get sick...
Not to mention all dirt and germs flying around... There is then no surprise in that some pilots get sick...
Join Date: Jan 2005
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The engineers think it´s below their dignity to handle a vacuum cleaner and a mop ( need more women engineers!) but won´t allow the cleaning staff in. They might damage the delicate equipment. Bull****, if you ask me! So, I just sit in the ****. 
And this is a flag carrier
And this is a flag carrier
