How a US Airways Flight to Brazil Lost Contact for 90 Minutes

[cynic]

I get that point, but I am not a Parker defender,  but I doubt that is doing, that would fall under Operations, Flight and Maintenance, now wouldnt it?

A decision  like that would have run through legal and upper level execs at a minimum. At least that's what should happen on any decision that creates significant exposure for the company. 

 

[nycbusdriver]

 
What other state-of-the-art technology is missing from the flight decks of airplanes at US Airways that is present at other, better managed airlines?   

 
Someone else pointed this out...
 
Pilots are specifically prohibited from accessing the internet on airplanes so equipped.  This means that, with difficult weather conditions....like lines of thunderstorms....the guy with the iPad in 10C has better weather information than the captain of the flight.
 
I am not advocating that WiFi be made freely available for web surfing in the cockpit, but if the airplane actually has WiFi capability, would it not make sense to use it to the advantage of better real-time weather information?

 

[LD3]

 
Someone else pointed this out...
 
Pilots are specifically prohibited from accessing the internet on airplanes so equipped.  This means that, with difficult weather conditions....like lines of thunderstorms....the guy with the iPad in 10C has better weather information than the captain of the flight.
 
I am not advocating that WiFi be made freely available for web surfing in the cockpit, but if the airplane actually has WiFi capability, would it not make sense to use it to the advantage of better real-time weather information?

Is that the norm at other airlines that have WiFi equipped aircraft? Because it does make sense that the crew should have access to it...

 

[nycbusdriver]

Is that the norm at other airlines that have WiFi equipped aircraft? Because it does make sense that the crew should have access to it...

 
I don't know for sure about other carriers.  At US there has been a long-standing policy that no non-technical reading material can be used in the cockpit during actual operations, but reading material germane to the operation and safety of the flight has been permitted at appropriate times.  I imagine that other carriers have similar policies, but I just don't know how they administer them.
 
It makes little sense that the company does not allow a similar policy for inflight WiFi access to safety-enhancing websites on the new iPads.  They should encourage safety-enhancing software products.   But because the iPads are snitch-prone, mine will have only the software the company provided on it until I retire and return it.  So much for improved safety through technology.

 

[LD3]

Maybe they're worried about someone watching Debby does Dallas and pulling the wrong joystick.... :blush:

 

[yoyodyne]

Maybe they're worried about someone watching Debby does Dallas and pulling the wrong joystick.... :blush:

 
Airbus pilots are always pulling on someone else's joystick..