Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

[Heelfan71]

Re: Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

I don't believe them. That is their made up excuse. I think they were sleeping.

[Buckeyes_Doc]

Re: Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

It's bad either way you put it. I've seen questionable behavior on flights by the pilots myself. The worst being about 2 years ago. I was flying from Chicago to Boston on American Airlines. I always sit in the back of the plane because nobody else wants too and I have full view of whats going on in front of me just encase somebody wants to act a fool on the plane and I gotta got to go Bernard Hopkins on a fool. I had my mp3 player on but I kept noticing the cockpit door was wide open. Not for a minute or two, I'm talking 15-20 minutes at a time. I'm basically looking out the windshield of the plane for almost the entire flight. Meanwhile the captain is walking around the plane, chillin, eating and trying to get digits from some chick. Not to mention once back at the controls, they missed the airport twice.

Are you serious? I'm sure in the post 9/11 world it is illegal to leave the cockpit door open even for a second and pilots were chilling in the cabin?

I think if that actually happened, with it being an AA flight in 2 key cities it would be all over the news like this...

[TIm]

Re: Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

Yeah this excuse is just fishy to me.... Maybe a pilot can clear this up... But with today's technologies, Aren't the air traffic controllers able to radio into the planes anytime they want???? Don't laugh but I either think they were sleeping or having some sort of sexual relations in some aspect... Even if they were on the computers they would've heard the Traffic control towers Right ???

[yankeesgiants]

Re: Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

Are you serious? I'm sure in the post 9/11 world it is illegal to leave the cockpit door open even for a second and pilots were chilling in the cabin?

I think if that actually happened, with it being an AA flight in 2 key cities it would be all over the news like this...

It happened and it happens more then you think. You dont hear about these things because nothing catastrophic happens. You only hear about planes when they crash, hijacked, stuck on runways, price hikes, baby born on board, or unruly passengers. I fly alot and one thing I notice is that people dont pay attention to anything that is happening on a plane. People are either sleeping, watching DVD's, playing with there kids, listing to music with giant sound proof headphones or chit chatting. Take a 7am flight and I'd say 80% of the people are sleep. I for one cant sleep on a plane, too paranoid to do it at 10,000 feet.

[Buckeyes_Doc]

Re: Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

It happened and it happens more then you think. You dont hear about these things because nothing catastrophic happens. You only hear about planes when they crash, hijacked, stuck on runways, price hikes, baby born on board, or unruly passengers. I fly alot and one thing I notice is that people dont pay attention to anything that is happening on a plane. People are either sleeping, watching DVD's, playing with there kids, listing to music with giant sound proof headphones or chit chatting. Take a 7am flight and I'd say 80% of the people are sleep. I for one cant sleep on a plane, too paranoid to do it at 10,000 feet.

Look at the reason for this thread, nothing catastrophic happened here and yet its all over the news.

And I'm the same way I fly all the time and never sleep on a plane and I always try to sit in the middle or near the front. But I've never seen pilots leave the cockpit door open mid-flight and walk around the cabin eating and chilling. What kinda plane was this exactly?

I could imagine this happening on a private plane or something but on AA from Chicago to Boston? I'm not saying your a liar, just I've never seen/heard of that happening before especially in the post 9/11 airline world.

[Buckeyes_Doc]

Re: Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

Yeah this excuse is just fishy to me.... Maybe a pilot can clear this up... But with today's technologies, Aren't the air traffic controllers able to radio into the planes anytime they want???? Don't laugh but I either think they were sleeping or having some sort of sexual relations in some aspect... Even if they were on the computers they would've heard the Traffic control towers Right ???

They were sleeping, only reason why they didnt hear the air traffic control. You dont just ignore ATC for over an hour by being awake, and yes they can radio planes anytime their in radar coverage.

[yankeesgiants]

Re: Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

Look at the reason for this thread, nothing catastrophic happened here and yet its all over the news.

And I'm the same way I fly all the time and never sleep on a plane and I always try to sit in the middle or near the front. But I've never seen pilots leave the cockpit door open mid-flight and walk around the cabin eating and chilling. What kinda plane was this exactly?

I could imagine this happening on a private plane or something but on AA from Chicago to Boston? I'm not saying your a liar, just I've never seen/heard of that happening before especially in the post 9/11 airline world.

Your only hearing about the incident on the news because they overshot a destination by 150 miles and were flying around for 90 minutes. Plus seeing the flight crew banging on the cockpit door with no response would alarm me. Plus Air Traffic control got involved and then the feds get involved after that. ANd then had a lowsy excuse to boot.

With my flight, nothing on that level happened. My flight landed on time. Plus the co pilot never left the controls. The pilot also was pretty friendly to everybody and answered some questions by kids so I dont think it really alarmed anybody. I noticed because Im paranoid at 10,000 feet and I notice everything. The crew may have been reported but I have no idea.

[kehlis]

Re: Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

2 years ago. I was flying from Chicago to Boston on American Airlines. I always sit in the back of the plane because nobody else wants too and I have full view of whats going on in front of me just encase somebody wants to act a fool on the plane and I gotta got to go Bernard Hopkins on a fool. I had my mp3 player on but I kept noticing the cockpit door was wide open. Not for a minute or two, I'm talking 15-20 minutes at a time. I'm basically looking out the windshield of the plane for almost the entire flight. Meanwhile the captain is walking around the plane, chillin, eating and trying to get digits from some chick. Not to mention once back at the controls, they missed the airport twice.

That's crazy. Why did they have you on such a small plane on a flight from Chicago to Boston? There is no chance on a normal sized plane that if you are sitting in the back you can see the cockpit doors.

I've been on 2 hour flights from Philly do Atlanta where my seats would be near the front and I couldn't even peak at the cockpit door.

[superjames1992]

Re: Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

Are you serious? I'm sure in the post 9/11 world it is illegal to leave the cockpit door open even for a second and pilots were chilling in the cabin?

Yes, that is very much illegal.

[Buckeyes_Doc]

Re: Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

That's crazy. Why did they have you on such a small plane on a flight from Chicago to Boston? There is no chance on a normal sized plane that if you are sitting in the back you can see the cockpit doors.

I've been on 2 hour flights from Philly do Atlanta where my seats would be near the front and I couldn't even peak at the cockpit door.

I'm sure it was on a big plane, not a regional jet or anything. AA has a hub in Chicago and Boston is a key focus city. With the amount of passengers making those trips and flying between 2 key cities I have to imagine they were flying mainline which means using a bigger jet such as a 737 at least.

Maybe if he was flying from Chicago to podunk town in Indiana I could imagine using a CRJ-100 or something but, I have to imagine it was a bigger plane.

[Ruffy]

Re: Why in the world are pilots allowed to tinker with laptops while flying?

Your only hearing about the incident on the news because they overshot a destination by 150 miles and were flying around for 90 minutes. Plus seeing the flight crew banging on the cockpit door with no response would alarm me. Plus Air Traffic control got involved and then the feds get involved after that. ANd then had a lowsy excuse to boot.

With my flight, nothing on that level happened. My flight landed on time. Plus the co pilot never left the controls. The pilot also was pretty friendly to everybody and answered some questions by kids so I dont think it really alarmed anybody. I noticed because Im paranoid at 10,000 feet and I notice everything. The crew may have been reported but I have no idea.

shenanigans!!