There are some things that just aren’t done as a pilot. You don’t drink alcohol for X number of hours before flying. The pilot and co-pilot don’t eat the same meal before a flight (for fear of food poisoning). And you don’t invite friends into the cockpit, ask for it to be made up to appear warm and welcoming with pillows, and then have the flight attendants serve said friend food and drinks.
I’m sure they teach you the first two in pilot school. I’d bet they also tell future pilots that only certain people are allowed into the cockpit during flight. I’m not sure they SHOULD even have to teach them that “making the cockpit warm and welcoming, and serve them food and drinks” isn’t allowed, but maybe they should, because that’s what a pilot recently did.
According to Gulf News, an Air India pilot flying from Dubai to Delhi on February 27 entertained a female friend in the cockpit, violating Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) safety norms, according to a complaint by a member of the cabin crew.
The complaint alleges that the captain, who was unnamed, wanted the flight attendants to ensure the cockpit looked welcoming before inviting his female friend in, and asked that she be served the food and drink typically served in business class.
According to the complaint, issues on the Air India flight 915 started even before boarding. The pilots were late for their boarding time and when they did finally show up, they went into the aircraft without discussion with the flight crew.
The pilots boarded the flight along with the passengers. Then, according to the complaint, the captain asked the crew to inform him if there were vacant seats in business class. He said he had a friend who was traveling in economy class and he wanted her to be upgraded. The crew told him there weren’t any empty seats for her.
According to the person who filed the complaint, the captain then asked her to bring his woman friend to the cockpit. He also told them to fetch some pillows from the bunk for her comfort. The woman sat on the first observer seat.
“He said the cockpit should appear welcoming, warm and comfortable, as though he was preparing his living room for a lady friend. Also, to take her drinks and snacks order and serve her in the cockpit. I told him, ‘Captain, I am not comfortable serving alcohol in the cockpit’. This seems to have upset him a lot and his entire attitude changed from that moment onwards. He became very snappy and rude and from there on started treating me like a servant working exclusively for him,” the crew member said in her complaint.
As per to DGCA’s Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) : “An employee of the aircraft operator, who has the permission of the pilot-in-command (PIC) and whose duties are such that his/ her entry into the cockpit is necessary for safe operation of the aircraft can only be allowed in the cockpit provided they have done the mandatory BA (breath analyzer) tests.”
It also specifies that only those who have completed BA tests are allowed to enter the cockpit.
“The regulator is looking at the technical and safety aspects involved in the matter,” said a DGCA official who wished to remain anonymous.
The complaint says the woman spent over an hour in the cockpit.
“While she was inside, the crew was summoned multiple times, during the passenger service on the short Delhi- Dubai sector, to offer her business class fare food and snacks. Though it interrupted the flow of service all requests were promptly catered to,” the complaint said.
The person who filed the complaint also said that while the passenger was inside the cockpit, she went to speak to the Captain when she noticed the pilots were not in their usual positions.
“I noticed that the first officer was sleeping reclined fully with a pillow and the pilot in charge was sitting across, facing the passenger in the rear observer station, to chat. The pilot in charge indicated that the first officer (co-pilot) was taking a controlled rest and sleep,” the complaint stated.
The complaint noted that both the pilots accompanied the passenger to the immigration area.
The person who complained also alleged that the captain was angry with her and made sexist remarks during the return flight. She added that she believed the pilot’s behavior required his psychiatric evaluation at an independent Air Force Medical testing station through DGCA as he posed risk to passenger safety.
“We have taken serious note of the reported incident and investigations are underway. The matter is reported to the DGCA and we are cooperating with the regulator’s investigation as well. We have zero tolerance in aspects related to the safety and well-being of our passengers and will take requisite action,” the airline said in an official statement.
Feature Photo (cropped): Tiger 240 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Pilot in the feature photo is a representation & is not the pilot described in the above story
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
5 comments
Is your picture of the pilot the subject of your blog? If he is, then cool. If not, you may a lawsuit on your hands.
He is not. That’s why I included the disclaimer at the end.
Even with your description at the bottom. Be careful
Understood. I’ll fix it. Should only take a few minutes.
Fixed. Thank-you for the suggestion. I thought the disclaimer would be enough, but why play with fire like that.