The logic favoring absolute security sounds right, Dena. However, from the
standpoint of a passenger (myself), a hijacking would be preferable to
a destroyed plane. Perhaps, the FAA, et. al., need to revisit this.

I would agree in the old days when the hijackers wanted a ride to another country. Today the hijackers have virgins on their mind and the end results will be the same. Having two people up front at all times as the United States requires is the safest solution because the moment the door person detects a problem, they can open the door and yell for help. The last flight I was on an attendant waited outside the door as well to protect the officer in the John. We weren't permitted to use the forward restroom until both pilots were back in their proper place. You may be flying a higher class airline than I do and you aren't in first class. I fly South West - a cattle hauler and we are all treated the same so we can see and use all of the restrooms.

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With a delay factor in access, at least there is a chance for changing a bad
initial course. Perhaps, another crew member would be a good idea.

The thought comes to mind that the pilot may have committed suicide, via a method that would be hard to detect, and would enable his family to collect
on insurance. Again, another crew member might reduce the odds for success.

A tough lesson, but perhaps future doors to pilots' cabin should have a
combination lock on them. Then, authorized personnel could gain entrance
in an emergency.

On the news they said the US requires two people in the cockpit at all times. One of the flight attends is the second person when somebody needs a rest room break. The news said it wasn't clear what the rules are in other countries. Before 911 they had a key hid in the public area but anything that allows the door to be unlocked from the outside while in flight is a security risk.

Yes, and a gun to your head may get the combination or any other "secret" way to open the door. May have to go back to the old days when there was a flight engineer in addition to pilot and co-pilot on the flight deck. The USAF has had some thought on this in crewing ICBM sites.

I won't argue about flight engineers being a good idea because they are but the reason the airlines payed all the big bucks for the fully automated cockpits was to get the extra body out of there. In the long run it cost less to have one less body in the cockpit. The down side was the flight engineer would work any problems while the plane was still in flight so the ground crew had a better idea what the problem was and what needed to be fixed.

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With a delay factor in access, at least there is a chance for changing a bad
initial course. Perhaps, another crew member would be a good idea.

The thought comes to mind that the pilot may have committed suicide, via a method that would be hard to detect, and would enable his family to collect
on insurance. Again, another crew member might reduce the odds for success.

The pilot flew the plane into the ground or change the autopilot setting. Both will be recored on the flight recorder and when they find all of it we will know. This is clearly suicide because when the pilot left the cabin the autopilot was set to level flight. It is very uncommon for pilots to fly much more than the takeoff and landing. Almost the entire flight is on autopilot.

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Wishing surviving friends and family members peace.

Germanwings Co-Pilot Deliberately Crashed Airbus Jet, French Prosecutor Says

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/27/world/europe/germanwings-crash.html?google_editors_picks=true

There is a live press Conference going on right now.

One more step toward airliners having a completely automated cockpit, but I for one would never board an airplane that didn't have a human pilot at the controls.

Now there will be months of investigation into how a suicidal pilot can pass all of the examinations, both physical and mental, that are required before allowing him/her into the cockpit.

It's not bad enough that planes can fail on their on, or fail because of poor mechanical care, or fail because of a terrorist plot, now we must take into consideration the mental wellness of the people charged with flying the plane. This event was truly tragic.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Just incomprehensible to me how any human being could do this without thought for the others he was taking with him. And with no apparent malice towards them. At least none known or displayed.

A very sad day. At least the voice recorder removed any doubt about what happened. The true reasons why shall never be known.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Just incomprehensible to me how any human being could do this without thought for the others he was taking with him. And with no apparent malice towards them. At least none known or displayed.

A very sad day. At least the voice recorder removed any doubt about what happened. The true reasons why shall never be known.

Actually glad to see you write this Mark, considering some of your posts on Fridays.

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Just incomprehensible to me how any human being could do this without thought for the others he was taking with him. And with no apparent malice towards them. At least none known or displayed.
A very sad day. At least the voice recorder removed any doubt about what happened. The true reasons why shall never be known.

There is no security in the world that could have prevented the co-pilot's actions. What happened is a tragic individual case. What has happened was nothing that we could imagine, says Carsten Spohr during a press conference on Thursday.

A nice young man. Funny, maybe a little coy. Certainly not a loner. No depressive tendencies. Lubitz is described of old friends and acquaintances, including members of the flying club, LSC Westerwald, he joined many years ago.
- I am speechless. There are not words. I felt like Andreas simply can not take this out. He was like anybody, like all the other boys in the club, said Peter Ruecker, LSC Westerwald Member since long, Der Spiegel.

One possible reason for hitting the panic button -- and, taking others
along, though not desired -- a sudden turn for the worse, in personal/family
finances.

One possible reason for hitting the panic button -- and, taking others
along, though not desired -- a sudden turn for the worse, in personal/family
finances.

I don't believe that any evidence of such has surfaced in this case.
Although there is an article on Fox News indicating that he had battled depression back in '09.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

French prosecutor: Co-pilot took doomed flight on ‘deliberate’ dive

DÜSSELDORF, Germany — The co-pilot of the doomed Germanwings flight locked himself in the cockpit and, with cool precision, deliberately slammed into snow-capped mountains, a French prosecutor said Thursday, in a stunning twist to a tragedy that killed all 150 people aboard.

The conclusions, based on cockpit flight recordings recovered from the wreckage, abruptly shifted the probe into a realm that Germany’s chancellor called “incomprehensible:” an intentional, eight-minute descent Tuesday that ended with the A320 jet disintegrating in the rocks and ravines of the French Alps.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pilot-reportedly-locked-out-of-cockpit-before-plane-crashed-into-alpine-mountainside/2015/03/26/460770d8-d38c-11e4-a62f-ee745911a4ff_story.html?tid=pm_pop

Thoughts and prayers for victims and their family's.

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In the commercial aviation industry, you don't have a flight surgeon who talks to you on a frequent basis.

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- We choose pilots very carefully. And we do not just watch cognitive skills but also on the psychological capacity. We use a so-called DLR tests. This test is an internationally recognized tool to use to test pilots, says Carsten Spohr.

The pilots undergo regular medical examinations, but there is no explicit psychological tests, according to Der Spiegel.

I am reminded of Buzz Aldrin. Who landed on The Moon with Armstrong.
Engineering Degree and Pilot, who 'Passed' the Psychological Tests, before being named an Astronaut.
In his book 'Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon', he relates that years after the Moon Landing: He was Committed to a Mental Institution, He was again given 'The Tests', and again, 'Passed' them all.
Perhaps no 'Test' is 100% accurate in predicting Suicidal Actions.

Very good example of depression Clyde!

- We choose pilots very carefully. And we do not just watch cognitive skills but also on the psychological capacity. We use a so-called DLR tests. This test is an internationally recognized tool to use to test pilots, says Carsten Spohr.

The pilots undergo regular medical examinations, but there is no explicit psychological tests, according to Der Spiegel.

I am reminded of Buzz Aldrin. Who landed on The Moon with Armstrong.

Engineering Degree and Pilot, who 'Passed' the Psychological Tests, before being named an Astronaut.

In his book 'Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon', he relates that years after the Moon Landing: He was Committed to a Mental Institution, He was again given 'The Tests', and again, 'Passed' them all.

Perhaps no 'Test' is 100% accurate in predicting Suicidal Actions.

Buzz Aldrin and the other 11 men who walked on the moon were faced with the ultimate let down. In the middle of their lives they had to face the prospect that nothing they did after their trips to the moon would even come close to the high they felt upon their achievement. It amazes me that they coped as well as they did after returning to earth.

Possibly, on the one hand, some part of the screening process has a slight flaw, but on the other hand there are, and have been many hundreds of airline pilots who would never think of taking their own lives and that of others in this way. So, in the end, maybe we just need to continue to do our best to keep the possibility of this event from reoccurring and move on toward a greater safety record in the sky.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

How many pilots are in active duty today?
I have no idea but they are many.
Perhaps about 2 pilots per 100 passengers.
I Think we have to live with that.

On the other hand one can use aircrafts without pilots.
Drones are already flying in the airspace.

There are four documented cases since the 1990s, when the pilots deliberately crashed the plane with passengers on board and thereby committed suicide, and caused the death of others.
November 29, 2013, LAM Mozambique Airlines, flight 470
31 October 1999, Egypt Air, Flight 990
December 19, 1997, Silk Air Singapore, flight 185
August 21, 1994, Royal Air Maroc, flight 630

Approximately 50,000 flights per day worldwide involve commercial passenger airliners. That makes 100,000 pilots in the air which I would guess is about a third of the total employed. I'm sure some pilots fly multiple flights per day but I would guess the total number of employed airline pilots is around 250,000 to 300,000.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.