SMF757 From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 31 posts, RR: 0 Posted (9 years 2 months 1 week 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 11697 times:
I'm not sure if this has been discussed before - if so please forgive me as I did attempt a search - but couldn't find any results.
I was asked by a few folks at work (because I'm the aviation guy) where the name "cockpit" come from - or what the history of the term is. Can anyone help me out here? Anyone know why Cockpit was selected as the control center of the aircraft?
I know that Flight Deck now a-days is more politically correct, but now it's got me wondering where did "cockpit" come from? I googled and couldn't find it either - so this is the next best place to try and find my answer - if you have any related posts links, please post them.
Thanks in advance for any light you can shed - this is such a great community!
Dhefty From United States of America, joined May 2005, 599 posts, RR: 3
Reply 1, posted (9 years 2 months 1 week 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 11655 times:
Originally it may have been used to denote the pen in which two roosters fought. Apparently the term then began to be applied in England to denote the arena in parliament where opposing legislators presented their arguments. It later became a term for any center of action and was used primarily in boating, i.e. where the rowers sat. The first aircraft seemed to be based on a hull design similar to small boats and the term caught on in aviation, where it remains to this day.
JCS From Netherlands, joined Jun 2004, 211 posts, RR: 0
Reply 2, posted (9 years 2 months 1 week 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 11483 times:
In Dutch a flightdeck is always called "Cockpit". The word flightdeck is the translation of Dutch 'vliegdek', which is never used by anyone. So, ask anyone in the Netherlands about the front of a plane and they call it a cockpit.
Quoting Dhefty (Reply 1): to denote the arena in parliament where opposing legislators presented their arguments