Originally Posted by
ForeverJunior
Effective January 5th, 2021, masks will be worn at all times by all employees in the indoor/office work environment, including in the simulator and all other locations at the FTC. In the Flight Deck (FD)masks will be worn:
• Anytime the FD is open either on the ground or in the air.
• Anytime a Flight Attendant is in the FD either on the ground or in the air
• Anytime either pilot expresses a desire to have masks worn in the FD.
o In this case, the expectation is that masks will be worn unless you are actively eating/drinking, having difficulty communicating on the radio or fogging of prescription glasses causes a potential safety risk.
Interesting we have not seen this at QX yet. I imagine it must be right around the corner. Does something like this have to be approved by the FAA? The requirement to wear it in the flight deck while in flight seems like a big safety misstep, especially with only a single pilot in the flight deck during a break. 121 aviation history is filled with countless accidents that can be attributed to poor communication or lack of communication between crew members. Wearing masks in the flight deck only creates an additional barrier to clear communication and CRM. This doesn’t even take into consideration the need to be able to quickly don an oxygen mask when seconds can matter. I wonder if this decision went through any of the standard internal safety risk assessment processes.