I'm not condoning putting safety at risk........ but I do believe they'll still need to prove that you took the picture, it could have been taken by someone in the jump....Now, if they wanna nail you with that, well there gonna need to prove that you gave them permission, or even knew about it!!!

Cockpits also are supposed to be sterile environments, free of distractions, and federal regulations prohibit pilots from being engaged in any activity below 10,000 feet that is not conducive to flights


from the article.....is this a reg?

Yes

§ 121.542 Flight crewmember duties.

(a) No certificate holder shall require, nor may any flight crewmember perform, any duties during a critical phase of flight except those duties required for the safe operation of the aircraft. Duties such as company required calls made for such nonsafety related purposes as ordering galley supplies and confirming passenger connections, announcements made to passengers promoting the air carrier or pointing out sights of interest, and filling out company payroll and related records are not required for the safe operation of the aircraft.
(b) No flight crewmember may engage in, nor may any pilot in command permit, any activity during a critical phase of flight which could distract any flight crewmember from the performance of his or her duties or which could interfere in any way with the proper conduct of those duties. Activities such as eating meals, engaging in nonessential conversations within the cockpit and nonessential communications between the cabin and cockpit crews, and reading publications not related to the proper conduct of the flight are not required for the safe operation of the aircraft.
(c) For the purposes of this section, critical phases of flight includes all ground operations involving taxi, takeoff and landing, and all other flight operations conducted below 10,000 feet, except cruise flight.

Some guys at here got some paid time off while they investigated a youtube video of them (you could hear the flight number in the background) taken by a F/A in the jumpseat who recorded them without their knowledge. Lucky for them she confessed.

This is an important issue.

I'm glad to see the FAA initiating an investigation into this. The industry used to have a fair amount of respect and dignity associated with it. Now, especially after looking at many of those youtube videos, it is hard to distinguish between a professional and a bunch of high school kids.

As I understand in the 91 regs (91.21), a.) it only applies to IFR, and b.) it is at the discretion of PIC. Can someone confirm?

Yeah, like pilots texting while flying...oh...wait, they do that anyway!!

How could you not know about it? Even in larger cockpits it would be difficult to not see someone videotaping.

With "ignorance is no excuse for the law", the feds will probably question why the prohibition of electronic devices was not briefed prior to departure. Either way, you as the PIC are ultimately responsible for the safety of the flight, thus everything falls on your shoulders. You have to begin thinking like a lawyer in addition to thinking like a captain.

At the very least you could see what your company SOP's have to say about use and storage of electronic devices. If your company's SOP's prohibit you from using a camera below 10,000' and you violate that prohibition, then you will probably be subject to a violation by the FAA. Since a carrier's SOP has to be approved by the FAA, if you violate it then you are also violating an FAA approved document.

As opposed to upgrading their antique ATC system and creating safe duty regs to fight pilot fatigue? I think you were missing my point.

And please, don't turn this into a FlightInfo thread about those "dang young inexperienced pilots with ipods, hairgel, and no hats."