Could Cockpit Conversations Soon Be Available For Review?
Remember when some pilots were recently screwing around on their laptops instead of paying attention to the whole flying-the-plane thing? It would have been nice to hear portions of their conversations in the cockpit—just to see what was actually going on. Well a new bill might allow airlines to listen to portions of cockpit communications.
The current union contracts kind of prohibit eavesdropping on what the pilots are chatting about while they are doing their job. However, this new bill would allow the airlines to use recorded data to discipline or fire pilots if they weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing. As it stands now, the recordings only become available if there’s an accident or other serious situation, but if the bill goes anywhere, listening in to evaluate pilot performance could become law.
The Pilot Professionalism Assurance Act, as it’s currently called, is sure to ruffle some feathers. We’re pretty sure that pilots and their unions aren’t going to like the fact that someone will always have access to what they are talking about. Just imagine if someone was listening to you at work all day—well, if you’re in a cubicle then that kind of already happens. Anyway, we do understand the whole safety aspect of the idea, but we’ll try to stay out of the discussion. We like to stay on everyone’s good side when it comes to airplane safety stuff.
Related Stories:
· Bill Seeks to Allow Airlines Access to Cockpit Conversations [WSJ]
· Hijacking Was Feared In The Case Of The Northwest Plane That Flew Too Far [Jaunted]
· Airline News coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: as737700]
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