Flying a plane is not something simple and it takes full concentration and attention to ensure that nothing goes wrong from engines on to arrival at destination. This applies to whatever type or size of plane is being flown. One of the most important concepts to adhere to during flight operations is the so called “sterile cockpit”.
What Does Sterile Cockpit Mean?
The concept is quite simple. During critical phases of flight distractions must be reduced to a minimum. This will ensure that the captain and first officer can convey their full attention to the flight instruments and flying the plane. The breach of the sterile cockpit can lead to errors that can rapidly escalate into an emergency or worse.
This means that conversation must be kept strictly professional. Any communication between pilots during the sterile cockpit must relate to flying the aircraft and checklists. There mustn’t be any chit chat or talk about anything other than what is strictly related to flying the aircraft. Clearly the use of PED (personal electronic devices is also banned).
When Does The Sterile Cockpit Apply?
As mentioned above the sterile cockpit kicks in in all critical phases of flight. These are mainly:
- Take off
- Climb
- Descent
- Landing
- Taxiing (from engines on to cutoff)
- Other intense workload phases
To simplify the concept, every time the workload goes up in the cockpit with checklists and SOPs (standard operating procedures) must be followed the sterile cockpit kicks in.
Who Does it Apply To?
If you think that the sterile cockpit applies only to the 2, or more, pilots in the flight deck you’re wrong. Distractions can be also introduced from the outside. A distraction can also take the form of a call from the cabin crew at the wrong moment.
Therefore the cabin crew also needs to observe the sterile cockpit in critical phases of flight. This is why during cabin crew training it is also taught which are the critical phases of flight and in which extreme situations calls can be made.
