Originally Posted by
Combat Medic
My problem is that I have overseen a lot of people that are working night shifts monitoring boring equipment. To me, that isn't much different from an aircrew flying across an ocean. When I oversee these people I encourage them to watch TV or do something like that.
Now, I'm able to do that because I always design systems to notify the teams of a problem and I would prefer that they be awake to receive that notification and I see that as more likely if they are watching a movie.
Could that be extended to the cockpit? I would think so, but experience has shown us otherwise.
The issue seems to be with behavior while below 10,000 feet, not during cruise. The time below 10,000 feet is short enough, and I presume busy enough, that I don't think it is a huge imposition to require strict procedures, nor do I think there is a big boredom risk. Maybe it should be 8,000 feet, or 12,000 feet, but I think the general idea is decent.
If FAA imposed these strict procedures during cruise, then I would be worried about boredom/inattention during long flights. But that doesn't seem to be the issue.