No Time Like the Present? Pilots Allow 10-Year-Old to Fly Plane (VIDEO)

© Screenshot/El Bilad TVChild permitted to control Air Algiers plane
Child permitted to control Air Algiers plane - Sputnik International
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Do we really know who’s flying our planes? Frequent flyers may have gotten comfortable with the notion that a pilot, copilot or autopilot is at the controls, but to be at the mercy of a 10-year-old child – that’s another matter.

On an Air Algerie flight from Algiers’ Houari Boumediene International Airport to Setif Regional Airport, a boy, sponsored through a children’s charity initiative, was allowed to push buttons and hold the wheel under supervision, the Aviation Herald reported.

​The orphan, dressed like a captain, was also told to change the altitude on the plane’s autopilot gears and turn on the seat belt signs — a clear violation of civil aviation regulations. 

"He was very disciplined, calm and attentive," the pilot told the El Bilad interviewer. "I am sure he will be a good pilot."

Both pilots, unsurprisingly, wound up suspended Friday after the footage was broadcast on an Algerian TV channel, according to Algerie 360.

Calling the pilot’s decision "irresponsible," a spokeswoman for Air Algerie said that the incident could have endangered the lives of the passengers.

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The Aviation Herald added one of the captains was arrested for permitting a child into the cockpit and for permitting the child to control the plane while it was airborne. 

The boy, whose ambition is to become a pilot, was also treated to an exterior tour of the plane prior to takeoff. 

An internal investigation into the matter by Air Algerie is ongoing.

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