Sterile cockpit
The rule that bans non-safety contact with the flight deck in critical phases of flight — taxi, take-off, landing and below 10,000 ft.
Definition
The sterile cockpit rule prohibits any non-essential activity or communication with the flight deck during critical phases of flight. In the United States it is written into FAA regulations for operations below 10,000 feet plus taxi, take-off and landing; EASA operators define an equivalent "sterile flight deck" period in their operations manual, often marked by a chime or the seatbelt sign. Only safety-critical calls — fire, smoke, a passenger emergency, an unusual noise — break it.
What it means for you
During sterile periods you do not call the flight deck to ask about the arrival time or the catering, and you learn to hold routine information until the chime signals the end of the phase. Judging what is safety-critical is yours to make: a smell of burning or a passenger who has collapsed absolutely justifies the call, and crew are trained never to hesitate on those.
In practice
On a United 737 climbing out of Denver, a crew member hears a loud bang from the aft galley below 10,000 ft and calls the flight deck immediately — a legitimate sterile-cockpit interruption — while a question about a connecting gate waits for the chime.
Related terms
4 terms- TaxiFlight operationsThe aircraft moving on the ground under its own power between the stand and the runway — a sterile phase for cabin crew.
- Flight deckRoles & ranksThe pilots' compartment at the front of the aircraft, and by extension the pilots themselves as distinct from cabin crew.
- CRMSafety & trainingCrew Resource Management — the training in communication, decision-making and assertiveness that lets a crew work as one team.
- Seatbelt signSafety & trainingThe illuminated sign controlled by the pilots that obliges passengers to sit and belt up — and tells crew what service is allowed.