5 Little-Known Rules That You Might Not Know Pilots Must Abide By

When you step onto an airplane, you place your trust in the hands of the pilots responsible for your safety and the smooth operation of the flight. Of course, behind the scenes, these aviators adhere to a multitude of regulations and guidelines to ensure that every flight is as safe and efficient as possible. For today’s video, let's dive into five little-known rules that you might not be aware of when it comes to the job of a commercial airline pilot.
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[@Icelandair_B767]

Thank you simple flying! So informative and educational 😃

[@GarrettWorcester]

The facial hair regulation surprised me, and I was fuzzy about the work/rest requirements - which is fine because I'm not a pilot. 😉

[@RexyH267]

As my father was a pilot I was very aware of these regulations. The one about beards was a bit strange as my father was an RN pilot at one stage & this was not a mandatory requirement.

[@rapidthrash1964]

That intoxicated United pilot story is shocking; how much did that pilot need to drink to reach that limit and how were they able to not need hospitalization?

[@AhmadmaDJamAjam]

(Edit: on some airlines) Pilots cannot eat the same meal in case of food poisoning, in some airlines the PF get to choose first in others seniority decides who eats what ;)

[@shrimpflea]

That's an airline to airline rule not a global rule.

[@FN-rr6mk]

Which airline gives the PF the first option ?

[@mitch532]

Not true

[@iampianoman]

How do the timelines for mandatory work and rest periods work for transoceanic flights, then, where flight times could be more than the maximum of even ten hours, but the total flight time doesn't give the original pair of pilots enough rest time on board? I recall hearing about relief pilots a few years ago, but I was under the impression the pilots flying that started from the departure gate also ended at the arrival gate.

[@andrewyoung3299]

I was aware of the Sterile Cockpit rule. Any distraction could miss a potential failure of an aircraft component.

[@vsevolodjakovlev7109]

Why in EU minimum rest time for flight and cabin crew is 12h and not 16?

[@tiredofthebs9]

Is it possible for a pilot to fly an airplane drunk? I ask because if they show up to work intoxicated, there must be instances when no one notices because why take the risk?

[@nurrizadjatmiko21]

I only don't know the beard and alcohol rule. The rest are yes i know especially fatigue.

[@momiami7974]

What about the religious reasons

[@NicotineRosberg]

That beard rule is stupid

[@shrimpflea]

I have a beard and I think it makes sense.

[@tusharsaikhedkar9808]

I think only US has that rule.
In India we don't have this rule.

[@FN-rr6mk]

FAA maintains the beard rule and the 1500 hrs requirement for airlines to hire new pilots
They are still living in 1950
The rest of the world does not have such things.

[@wadehiggins1114]

jetBlue, here I come.

[@cameronmurray9026]

Why?

[@wadehiggins1114]

@@cameronmurray9026 I'm going to be a pilot

[@Tpr_1808]

I wanna be one still

[@wadehiggins1114]

Go for it! I am.

[@Tpr_1808]

@@wadehiggins1114 All the best

[@wadehiggins1114]

@Tpr_1808 Thanks, same to you

[@nicholasmohr1619]

Not flying within 8 hours of consuming alcohol should be obvious. If you don’t believe the video or anyone that tells you, turn to the FAR section 91.17. It’s there.

[@wickedcabinboy]

About that medical certificate... It saddens me to inform you that the physician who performs the flight physical and issues the certificate is not the pilot's primary MD. The examiner cannot get medical information from the pilot's primary MD and must rely on the pilot to be forthright about his/her medical history. Without the pilot's medical history the physical itself is only a snapshot of the pilot's condition at the time of the exam. So, it's very easy to mask potentially critical medical information during the flight physical.
It's even worse for a pilot with a psychiatric illness. The same prohibition applies to the pilot's psychiatrist or mental health provider. That information is not available to the airlines or the physician performing the flight physical. Worse yet, despite declarations to the contrary by airlines, if the pilot does reveal a psychiatric disorder it's highly likely that he will not be allowed to fly and may even be terminated. This is a powerful incentive for such pilots to hide their psychiatric problems during a flight physical.

[@wickedcabinboy]

​@@EdOeuna - Makes sense. How often do pilots get prosecuted for doing that?

[@rapidthrash1964]

This is a real issue that doesn't really seem to result in any consequences to pilots that fly

[@wickedcabinboy]

@@rapidthrash1964 - Allow me to refer you to Germanwings Flight 9625 and the 150 souls on board. From the accident report I quote this:
The collision with the ground was due to the deliberate and planned action of the co-pilot, who decided to commit suicide while alone in the cockpit. The process for medical certification of pilots, in particular self-reporting in case of a decrease in medical fitness between two periodic medical evaluations, did not succeed in preventing the co-pilot, who was experiencing mental disorder with psychotic symptoms, from exercising the privilege of his license.
- Causes, BEA Final Report

[@TW19567]

As much as the aviation world still insists that two crew flight decks are essential, if it were unsafe to fly without two crew in an aircraft then you wouldn’t get single crew certified jets! Single crew operations will happen eventually especially as workloads decrease.

[@rapidthrash1964]

So if a passenger with a beard flying in the USA is caught in a cabin depressurization, will they struggle to breathe when using their mask?

[@Alganix]

9th

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