Are Instagram Snoops Busting Pilots?

Pilots getting distracted by social media concerns the FAA. Should it?

Julia Aparicio

Friday, January 29, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots are facing criticism for Instagramming flights, especially during critical phases like takeoffs and landings, due to concerns about distraction.
Existing FAA regulations address such distractions, but they appear to be widely ignored by pilots, as shown by their social media posts.
Despite investigations and concerns, no known flight incidents or disruptions have been reported as a result of pilots taking photographs, leading the author to question if a real problem exists.

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So, to Ãgram, or not to Ãgram? Pilots have come under fire recently for Instagramming their flights, as mentioned in an article posted on QZ.com, not only when the plane is at cruising altitude and set to autopilot, but also during crucial moments, such as takeoffs and landings. It is during those vital periods that pilots are expected to focus on operational goings-on, and not have their attention distracted by anything not involved with operating the plane.

There are FAA regulations addressing just such distractions, and there probably should be. Who wants a pilot snapping a pic on a step-down approach to minimums? The author suggests that these regs are widely ignored, which the Instagram and Facebook pages of working pilots makes all too clear. Most pics, to be clear, are taken while at cruise, autopilot set to alt hold, coffee at the ready.

So it’s not clear to us that there’s even a problem. Despite investigations and concerns surrounding the Instagram accounts of pilots, no known incidents have been reported of photographs causing a disruption during flights.