Jumpseating on Foreign Carriers
 

Hi there,

I'm a 17-year-old aviation enthusiast, and I'm booked on a TACA flight from ORD to Guatemala City at the end of the month. I know FAA regulations do not allow regular passengers admission to the flightdeck on U.S. carriers (FAR 121.547), but what are the rules for an airline such as TACA? Would it be remotely possible for me to hitch a ride in the jumpseat? Any insight would be highly appreciated!

Nope...you originate in the States so you're out of luck.

What about landing in GUA? Or on the return leg, GUA-ORD? Thanks again.

In this day and age, I don't want ANY non-qualified people on the flight deck, much less some wide-eyed high schooler. :mad:

Into or out of our great nation makes it nearly impossible to jumpseat. The U.K. is just as strict. Some CASS participates don't even allow jumpseating internationally for other company's employees. Your best bet is to talk to the Captain before takeoff and their might be a chance, once you get across the border, to visit the flightdeck.

Or more so. The U.K. wouldn't even allow Just Planes to allow film for a dvd while taking off/landing at London...

Aviacentre - your real name wouldn't happen to be Ahmed or Mohammed, would it? Does 9/11 ring a bell?

You're probably exactly who you tell us that you are, but can you see why even asking the questions you do makes some of us cringe? C'mon use some common sense; all cockpits are now off limits to passengers thanks to jihadi scum.

Btw, while passengers are boarding and after they’ve deplaned many pilots will let you take a peak into the cockpit - especially if children are involved. Good luck.

Jesus, give the guy a break. As a low time pilot i too wish i could jumpseat in the cockpit of an airliner. i understand why i cannot in todays world, but honestly, it is a sad thing because most people are not terrorists.

I've done the research. You can disregard all the other responses to your question. The answer is YES YOU CAN "hitch a ride" in the cockpit on your TACA flight. The primary reason is that those wooden chairs, with no armrests, on your flight will get mighty uncomfortable after the first 20 minutes, or until your butt becomes numb. Also, the fact that the TACA airliner you're riding on doesn't have cockpit doors, should help your effort. Good luck and enjoy the view.

P.S. if there's anyone here that flies for TACA, hopefully you realize that I was only kidding..... I know for a fact that the chairs do have armrests.;)

it's too bad they dont allow anyone in the cockpit during flight anymore. Like ''little joey who wants to meet the pilots" . I was one of those kids when I was like 6 (+- a few) yrs old. The FA took me up front. The pilots were really friendly and even let me hang around for a while. I still remember how freakin bright it was up there with all that light shinning into the 747 cockpit. The walk from my economy class seat through business class, into first class, and up the stairs took forever lol. Guess those days are long gone for kids now.

They are long gone...Years ago I took the family (using passes) to London for a few days. The Captain of this flight (DL 10, ATL-LGW) just happened to be a fellow that I had just flown with. During the flight, he walked back and invited my kids to come up to the cockpit. Of course, my daughter, age 11, was too "scared' to go. My son, 8 yrs old, jumped at the chance. He was gone about half an hour. When he returned, he said "Dad, all three of the pilots are sitting up there with their feet proped up, drinking coffee...I want to be a pilot"..Turns out that he is....Flying 737-800 at Delta, but not a coffee drinker...

Think those days will ever come back?

Unfortunately it's just as strict in Canada. I remember back in 2000 our family went on a trip to Florida. One leg was on an Air Canada A320, I asked the FA if I could go up and see the cockpit, the pilots let me come up and then let me stay for the landing in Toronto. Needless to say, at 11 years old I felt like I was on top of the world! On another leg I was boarding a UA 737 with my mom and the captain was at the doorway on his cell phone, he puts down the phone and asks me if I want to come up and visit the cockpit once we get airborne, ofcourse I said yes:D . He was probably one of the nicest guys I've ever met.

Those kind of experiences really made me want to be a pilot.