Air Line Pilots Association reposted this
At its core, what Airbus is trying to do would leave one pilot alone on the flight deck during the cruise phase of the flight while the other pilot is in another part of the aircraft. When this one pilot attends to physiological needs or becomes incapacitated it leaves no one at the controls, the only person who can step in to fly that aircraft will be asleep in a bunk rather than on the flight deck where they belong. Single pilot operations are effectively zero pilot operations in airline transportation, which could be catastrophic in an emergency. I have thousands of hours over the North Atlantic, and can tell you with no uncertainty that in the middle of the night in cruise, having only one pilot is a significant degradation in safety. Imagine an emergency like an engine fire, security event or incapacitation of the remaining pilot. The safety of the traveling and shipping public demands we refuse to entertain this unsafe idea.
It has become very apparent that EASA - European Union Aviation Safety Agency has been working with EU aircraft manufacturer Airbus to develop criteria for the development of enhanced minimum crew operations and single pilot operations on specific aircraft with the goal of eliminating a two-pilot flight deck. The regulatory agency’s timeline for assessing issues with and implementing reduced-crew operations into the EU regulatory framework is aggressive, with no data or information to justify such a drastic degradation of safety in the aviation industry. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3RBhCCP #SafetyStartsWith2 #Automation #Airbus
Absolutely agree, this seems like an initiative taken by people sitting behind a desk rather than by former pilots or real experts on the matter..
Cutting corners trying to cut costs. Sounds like disaster waiting to happen.
Thanks for sharing
Taking Life One Day At A Time
2wI’ve been an aviator’s wife for thirty one years and this is the single most idiotic idea I’ve ever heard. That’s asking for trouble, pure and simple. There are shareholders behind this, demanding more return on their investment no doubt, an issue that cost my pilot husband a job once. Safety should not be sacrificed on the altar of shareholder satisfaction.