FAA Limits Cockpit Distractions

• Date: April 28, 2010
• Source: Admin

Keeping in mind the safety of the passengers on board, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has urged the air carrier operators to create and enforce a rule to limit distractions of the pilots in the cockpit.

The guidance on limiting pilot’s distraction in the cockpit has been proposed by the FAA this Monday after an incident of negligence that took place in October 2009 in which two Northwest Airlines pilots missed the Minneapolis airport and over-flew by 150 miles. Investigation revealed that the two pilots were busy figuring out a newly introduced complicated crew-scheduling process on their laptop computers.

Comprehending the importance of passenger safety, the Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced “There is no room for distraction when your job is to get people safely to their destinations,” as he believes that “The traveling public expects professional pilots to focus on flying and on safety at all times.”

To prohibit the crewmembers and air carriers form doing anything that can “constitute a safety risk”, the Information for Operators (InFO) asks them to limit activities including the use of any personal electronic device for non-work related activities during the
fly. Moreover, the agency is planning to address the issue of cockpit distraction by launching strict and specific rule, improved crew training programs and by creating safety culture amongst the crew members and carriers.

The existing Sterile Cockpit Rule prohibits pilots from any type of distracting behavior during critical phases of flight, including take-off and landing but with the advancement of technology, laptops and other electronic devices are becoming inevitable tools for pilots to use in their routine duties.  However, the new rule attempts to ensure the tools are only be used in the cockpit if they help pilots in safe operation of an aircraft.
 

Source:

http://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation...

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=10477877