If anyone thinks this is about sterile cockpit....guess again. I agree, a level of professionalism is needed....and all rules/regs must be followed. But, I just have one word for you:

Tenerife

On March 27, 1977 two 747's collided on the runway at Tenerife. It was between Pan Am and KLM. The KLM was Captained by a very Senior Captain. He had two junior officers with him serving as FO and SO. The Captain initiated a takeoff role without clearance. The FO spoke up and the Captain aborted the takeoff. While the FO was obtaining a ROUTE clearance (not a takeoff clearance), the Captain again initiated a takeoff role and the rest is history....over 580 dead. The FO did not dare to question the Senior Captain twice! It cost him his life and 582 others their life.

This is not the only time an accident has happened because of a crewmember not speaking up! After Tenerife...we saw a dramatic shift towrds CRM. CRM was Cemented with the accident of a United DC-10 in Souix City a decade later, on July 19, 1989, where the Captain saved 184 lives by using CRM.

CRM WORKS! And it works because of the freedom to communicate (as a crew) in the cockpit.

If this law passes, we are going back to the pre-CRM days. It will only be a matter of time before an accident happens. And then another...and then another.

And it is too bad that this is happening because one Senetor wants to "bust" airline unions. Pro or con...this is not the right way to solve any of our problems.

This law will not make sure people adhere to a sterile cockpit....or fall asleep in the cockpit.....it is about someone fearing to open his/her mouth when something looks wrong....because somebody may get in trouble from management (if they decide to review the recorder). Having people second guess saying something will lead to disaster....history will repeat itself!