Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

[rbgarr]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/26/airliner.flyby/

Playing John Madden NFL 10 perhaps??

[Dan McCosh]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

At least they weren't talking on their cell phones.

[John of Phoenix]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

Northwest pilots trying to figure out the Delta crew schedule system. These arilines merged a year ago and these guys are still trying to sort things out.
Operations needs to be more careful about scheduling guys like this with each other.
Bright guy + bright guy = too bright (pun alert).
Bright guy + dim guy = ok.
Dim guy + dim guy = DIM^n.

[C. Ross]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

Damn. I was hoping it was alien abductions.

I'll fly just north of 80,000 miles on Northwest this year. They always make me turn off my damn laptop when we get near Minneapolis...I guess I can ignore that direction next time <grin>.

[Tom Wilkinson]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

Northwest pilots trying to figure out the Delta crew schedule system. These arilines merged a year ago and these guys are still trying to sort things out.
Operations needs to be more careful about scheduling guys like this with each other.
Bright guy + bright guy = too bright (pun alert).
Bright guy + dim guy = ok.
Dim guy + dim guy = DIM^n.

The two airlines are still operating under separate certificates. Just because the merger was done a year ago doesn't mean all the systems and policies are integrated. Single operating certificate is likely several months out.

Doesn't excuse their actions though.

[peterAustralia]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

Is it just me that thinks this is weird that pilots have laptops in the cockpit.

Let me put it this way, why do pilots need a laptop whilst flying. Surely all the navigation instruments are actually in the plane. Does the employer want them to catch up on emails etc, whilst they are flying the plane.

From my rather conservative viewpoint, I would have thought that actually flying a plane was a serious job in itself, enough of a job to allocate one hundred percent of your time to. I guess if you were working in a record store and there were few customers then it would be OK to check emails and surf the net, but when your flying a plane! I just assumed there would be a rule against that. I guess I need to get with the times and understand modern multI-tasking.

peter

[Tom Wilkinson]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

There is a rule against it and they will likely be terminated. Union may be able to protect them, but it seems a pretty flagrant violation. There isn't a whole lot of actual hands on flying going on for 90% of most commercial flights. swapping headings and monitoring and switching radios is about the extent of it.

It's really a pretty boring job from what I have seen. newspapers and books were common in the cockpit so I'm not surprised they were using laptops. I am surprised that they let it get in the way of their piloting duties.

[Nicholas Carey]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

Probably Wicked Weasel

[Scot L T]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

Yea sure! And it was a "Weather Balloon" that landed in Roswell, NM. C. Ross, I think you're on the right track...Aliens!

[Nicholas Scheuer]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

"Laptops" sounds like a "reasonable" story designed to cover up something else.

Maybe the two have a gay relationship and were "getting it on".

How many people are in the cockpit of a "jumbo jet" anyway? Did the Flight Engineer go the way of the caboose people on the railroads?

Moby Nick

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

How many people are in the cockpit of a "jumbo jet" anyway? Did the Flight Engineer go the way of the caboose people on the railroads?

Moby Nick

Yes, long ago!

Here is a way of looking at it, which was pointed out to me long ago by a colleague in Cathay Pacific:

A ship has a crew with, usually, a 2 on 1 off leave ratio, so you need about 1.8 crews for her (allowing for overlaps, training, illness, etc.)

A 747 needs 7 or 8 whole crews!

[Tylerdurden]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

I talked to my UFO guy last night and he says this isn't the last word. Says they will drag it out as its a coverup and Obama will have to announce. We will see.
I think its more probable they napped out, its a boring flight.

[John of Phoenix]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

I think its more probable they napped out, its a boring flight.

Yep, I'd lay odds they were asleep. I don't care what you're doing, lap top or lap dance, your ear is tuned to hear your call sign and they didn't respond for over an hour.

They know they're toast so this is just an attempt to step out without admitting GROSS negligence.

[Tom Wilkinson]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

Yep, I'd lay odds they were asleep. I don't care what you're doing, lap top or lap dance, your ear is tuned to hear your call sign and they didn't respond for over an hour.

They know they're toast so this is just an attempt to step out without admitting GROSS negligence.

Actually I think admitting they were on laptops is admitting gross negligence. They are done IMHO. At least sleeping they could claim fatigue.

[paladin]

Re: Overshooting pilots were on their laptops

That is the very reason that autopilots were not installed in most of our aircraft in South East Asia...tired or not, and some days we flew every day all week and sometimes as long as a month without a day off....we were shifted around so that if we had long flights 2 days in a row and had to fly again it was a short (2-3) hour flight.....you had to stay on your toes all the time...