Sleeping in the cockpit?

Mahesh, I don't know if the part about the FAs is true or not, but I suspect not. I do know that the airlines have very specific entry/exit procedures for anytime a crew member wishes to leave the flight deck, and I also know that nobody will discuss them on a public forum such as this one.

FL270
 
Its no secret. The passengers must be told over the PA that they will remain in their seats until the pilot has returned to the cockpit and the door is locked. There are some variations, but that's basically it.
 
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For domestic operations there is now a hard duty limit of 14 hrs

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This is incorrect information. Some union contracts have this restriction, but the FAA has no set duty day limit. What they do however, is have a max flight time between rest period restriction and a minimum look back rest restriction.

The end result is no more than 8 hours of scheduled flight time between rest periods as well as a minimum of 8 hours lookback rest at all times. This limits you to no more than 16 hours of duty, but there is no 16 hour max duty limit.

This is all for scheduled domestic carriers. The rules for supplemental carriers are different.

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Essentially, there is a hard duty day limit. There is now a hard duty period limit of 16 hours...and cannot be exceeded. You could be a short call reserve pilot, not having flown at all, and have to comply with the 16 hour max duty day. If, before takeoff, your enroute time will cause you to exceed 16hrs continuous duty...you cannot takeoff. This means if you have an extended taxi prior to takeoff, you may actually have to return to the gate and get off the airplane.

This is a major change to previous FAA interpretations where, basically, you could be on duty forever.

This is due to the "Whitlow Letter" interpretation of the FAA that is now over a year old.
 
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Its no secret. The passengers must be told over the PA that they will remain in their seats until the pilot has returned to the cockpit and the door is locked. There are some variations, but that's basically it.

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I guess then that it depends on the airline. A United friend told me that they don't allow for a pilot to be by himself/herself in the cockpit.

Understandably, they don't want to discuss details. At a BBQ, we were discussing security and a couple of pilots there said that they could not discuss the security training they have gone through post 9/11.

Mahesh
 
That's one of the variable parts. Some want two people in the cockpit and some have other rules. That's the ultra secret stuff
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I am not privy to any secret stuff right now and yet I know (from riding in the back) that when the captain has the "skittles" all pax must stay in their seats with seatbelts fastened. It's really bad in the CRJ where the captain (or FO) has to walk past all those passengers on the way to AND from the lav. They must get sick of all the comments.

"Everything come out ok?"

"Feeling better now?"

"Lighten the load?"

etc etc etc

Oh by the way, on s CRJ the FA stayed in the cabin to make sure all pax stayed seated.
 
de727

I'm well familiar with the UPS configurations, as I rode the jumpseat between ANC-ONT for several years while commuting (pre 9/11 and never rode on the UPS MD-11s). The seats in the 767 are not quite first class. Unlike our seats in the back, which are either true first class seats (wide, leather, with nice footrests), or rear facing "jumpseats", which also have footrests and go to near full recline, the UPS 767 configuration has seats that do not recline all that far and no footrests, plus they directly block access to the lav, so you have to move your feet anytime someone wants to go back.

To offset that, the crews I rode with were absolutely wonderful people, not their fault the airplane is configured like it is!
 
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