Saturday, March 28, 2015

Two pilots isn't enough


 Two pilots isn't enough!
 After the terrible crash this week where early finding suggest the co-pilot may have deliberately crashed the plane, some airlines have decided to add another crew member in the cockpit while one of the flying crew leaves to go to the toilet or whatever.  That actually means a steward or stewardess.  Well I'm sorry but that's just not good enough!
 You see while it's better than nothing, a steward or stewardess knows bugger all about flying the plane, that means the remaining member of the flight crew can do pretty much as he or she likes. The steward won't know if the person flying the plane has put it into a shallow dive, or starts venting the fuel or something subtle. And if the person flying does do something drastic they steward won't be able to try and take control either, and G forces means the captain or co-pilot who is off the flight deck may not be able to get back to it. So apart from looking out of the window they'll be pretty useless.
 The answer is simple, put another qualified pilot on board, he'll know if the person flying tries something, and he or she is trained to fly the plane so they can try and take control if something happens. It's also a good safety feature, if one pilot is taken ill for example you still have two left to fly and land the plane.
 I doubt any airline will do it though, you see pilots cost a lot of money to train and pay, although the wages might be less that you think.  But then again recovering the wreck of your shattered aircraft from the sea bed isn't cheap either. Sadly the "value" of the passengers lives is bugger all to the airlines. We're expendable as theres an almost unlimited supply of us willing to pay to fly on an airlines that put money before our safety.

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