Hi Pieter --
As in all things, it depends. I have had several flights in the cockpit as
a “lookie-loo”, and if you can bring something relevant into the
conversation and at the same time stay out of their necessary business,
pilots are just like the engineers of old – happy to show off and
accommodate the interested. The cockpit is not a comfortable space for
visitors, however, being very much smaller than the smallest locomotive cab.
Even today, you can talk with the crew before and after landing if they are
not busy.
Along the same lines, I have never been turned down by the crew of an
operating steam loco for a look around the cab. Quite a few times, if the
railroad operating the loco hasn’t got strict rules (or has a waiver to be
signed), I have been offered cab rides and even a chance to fire or hang
onto the throttle for a short bit. Unfortunately, my schedules have
generally prevented that...
I think your approach to the people involved in both these lines of work has
a lot to do with their opinion of you and how you get treated by them. For
them it’s a dangerous business that demands skill and respect for the
dangers, not a place to entertain.
Have fun!
Bill Winans
Prescott Valley, AZ
The reception of railfans by professionals varies a lot. I suspect many are
afraid of the railfan getting in the way, or recording and maybe reporting
an operational error which gets the employee in trouble. Other railroaders
are more accommodating, or were pre-Patriot Act. I guess pilots would be
less enthusiastic about someone sitting in the cockpit while they were
flying!
Pieter E. Roos
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