For years, airline crews have lobbied against requests from safety advocates for video in the cockpit, but now it seems that some crews have shot their own videos and posted them on YouTube. The FAA and Horizon Air confirmed to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that they are investigating possible cockpit violations in which pilots allowed personal electronic devices to be used to record takeoffs and landings. The trouble is that not only are such devices not supposed to be operating during that phase of flight, but the taping also might violate rules about sterile cockpits — that is, when flying at less than 10,000 feet, no idle chatter or other distractions are allowed.
The HorizonAir YouTube video, which has recently been taken down, showed a takeoff from Boise and was apparently taken by somebody riding in the jumpseat, but Horizon Air spokeswoman Jen Boyer told the P-I that would still be unacceptable. “We have a very strict sterile cockpit policy, which includes jump seater,” she said. HorizonAir is cooperating with the FAA in the investigation, she said.
