Some of the best aviation photos you've seen should have never been taken
 

How do you balance the awesomeness of having spectacular views out the front of an airplane with the responsibility of making sure that plane operates safely? The law says you ignore the awesome and focus on the responsibility. For a number of pilots, however, that’s not the decision being made. The photos they produce are spectacular. Gorgeous shots of landing approach lights, sunrises & sunsets and other situations which only a pilot will see. And they want to share these AvGeek photos. That could be a problem.

http://qz.com/233165/the-pilots-of-i...es-of-the-air/
http://blog.wandr.me/2014/12/spectac...uld-not-exist/

There's nothing unsafe about taking those images, especially when there are multiple crew members in the cabin.

Yes, there is. A pilot not attending to his responsibilities and doing something non-flight related increases the risk to the aircraft. Unless you believe his/her activities are absolutely zero value added to flying the plane.

There can be various opinions on the level of risk increase, but saying it's none is simply false, IMHO.

Agreed 100%.

s4popo, you may wanna take another run at your take.

> There's nothing unsafe about taking those images, especially when there
> are multiple crew members in the cabin.

+1

Good grief. Too many self-loading baggage types here, sharing their ignorance. The "rules" are considerably nuanced.

Unless jumpseaters are Type Rate'd in the equipment, they are only a little bit more than the self-loading baggage. Their ID90 pass identifies them as trusted enough to allow sitting in the pointy end. They are not "crew" for the operation of the flight. If they are Type Rate'd on the equipment, I have the discretion of assigning them crew duties.

>> But taking photos, or using most any electronic device, while piloting a commercial aircraft is
>> prohibited by American and European regulators. Pilots for airlines large and small, flying
>> planes of all sizes, seem to be violating the safety rules.

Whoever authored this [cough] gem is grossly uninformed.

There is considerable latitude re: the use of PEDs in the cockpit.

In the USA, the "rules" are canonized by the FAA's Operating Certificate for each airline/operator and in the FAA Operating Handbook that is approved for a specific aircraft model/type, for each specific airline/operator.

It's not that unusual for two airlines/operators flying essentially identical aircraft ... to have different (conflicting?) rules. If the Operating Certificate/Handbook is not specific re: PEDs, then the default rule in the USA is: Captain's discretion

Those documents are regulatory. If I color outside the lines, I am subject to enforcement/certificate action and get to plead my case (stupidity) to a (Administrative Law) Judge.

trash authors/writers just trolling for views.