Just because you are capable doesn't mean that another person can't help. It would take a load off.

How much help can they really be? An airline pilot can talk on the radio and help out a little. A passenger with a private pilots' license can't even do that. I would just as rather do it myself than try to explain something to someone who is awestruck. Security is my biggest issue. Who is to say the pilot was not poisoned?

Well, according to the article she's 61....so.....yeah, she's got 4 years left in her.


......thanks ALPA:rolleyes:

I would imagine carrying the load of having to supervise someone not trained, or recently experienced would be a lot greater than just doing it solo.

P.S. Although I agree in the notion that if you need help ask for it. If one of my pilots has done this, HE WOULD BE FIRED.

Um, are you all missing the point that she was part of the working crew? Not a random pax, and not likely to be "awed" by the mighty Boeing flight deck since she's been there before. Good resource management by the CA.

One of the corporate guys was talking about this in the hall outside my crm today, about how awesome CRM it was to use the FA as a copilot and that he had a commericial license and he would totally help... I was just thinking to myself that'd be more hinderance than help... I can remember how overwhelmed I felt the first time I was in a jet and that was after sim and I knew how to work everything. First leg of IOE I still felt like it was all I could do to do my stuff. Can you imagine doing that without any training, yeah real helpful. Now I guess it's good insurance to call and at least ask so that there's someone to open the door if the captain gets sick also. If you're both incapacitated and the door is locked we're screwed.

Private Pilot
 

Why can't a private pilot talk on the radio, read checklists, and watch for traffic for the "real" pilot? Respectfully, I think we might be painting with too broad a brush. Obviously it would depend on the experience level of the PPL.

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lol, its not quite that easy...Busy time O'Hare is a nightmare on the radios...
When I started I went there on my first leg of IOE and I think part of me may still be there

I agree that I'd rather do it myself than have to babysit somebody who didn't know what was going on. Hell, the Comm panels on half the planes I jumpseat on still confuse the hell out of me so having them monitor the radios would require training. Also, this FA is reported as asking questions such as "where are the brakes" when getting into the cockpit. Really, you have a commercial license and don't know where the brakes are? Granted, she could have assumed they were different than a Cessna but come on. How much help was she really. Only reason for her to be up there was to open the door to get the FO to man up and fly if the Captain keeled over suddenly.