Have you ever heard about the rule by which pilots and co-pilots can never eat the same food before the flight? Below you can read the main reason for this practice.
The safety of passengers in air traffic is almost entirely in the hands of the staff, so pilots on commercial flights must respect certain things, but can also influence many.
For example, pilots can most often choose a co-pilot whom they would like to fly with, and they can also choose a person whom they do not want to share the cockpit with. However, some rules should not be violated, and one of them says that a pilot and a co-pilot must not eat the same food before the flight.
Although the rule at the first glance can be strange, there are very good reasons for it, and they are, of course, of a safety nature. For example, if something goes wrong with a single pilot’s meal and it is poisoned by food, the other pilot will not experience the same fate and will be able to take control of the plane.
It is important to add that this practice is not prescribed by law, but it is generally accepted by the airline companies themselves to protect their passengers better. Also, pilots are advised to avoid certain foods before the flight, such as raw fish.
Food poisoning on flights is very rare, however, some cases have been reported. The most famous one is the one from 1982, when even 10 crew members, including pilots and co-pilots, were poisoned by defective pudding, and to make the thing even worse, the flight was transoceanic New York-Lisbon flight.
Nevertheless, even then, pilots kept their balance and managed to return to Boston, and taking into consideration the current practice of consuming food before the flight, it is almost impossible for both pilots to get poisoned by their food.
So, if you ever decide to become a pilot and enroll in a flight training program (like the one Bartoliniair offers), know that you and your co-pilot will never get to eat the same food.
