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I'll make one more run at this before I'll assume it's your intention to miss the point. They were actually locked in by the TSA when they instituted the secure cockpit rules. However, I recognize your point that no one forced them to be there, which is completely true and correct. You're also absolutely correct that at that level of aviation career there are literally tens if not hundreds of pilots vying for each job who would love to replace them.

None of that, however, has any bearing on the point I was trying to make, which was that making a joking comment in the work environment doesn't mean you're taking unsafe or illegal actions. They obviously thought it would be neat to take their aircraft to the highest altitude they had been trained was safe to fly at, because they normally didn't get the chance to do it. They were obviously excited about that chance. I still see no reason that being excited about that chance, and joking around about it, is a reason to insult the deceased.

Thanks, Dad, but you're the one who's still missing the point.

The point is that they weren't locked in by the TSA or anyone else. Being locked in is being held prisoner.

They were working in a locked room. It's no different than the guys working in the memory & cpu cages at the local Fry's.

If they or anyone else doesn't like working in a locked room, they can quit their jobs and go fly (or Fry's) somewhere else. The distinction is a subtle one, but it does exist. So, let's lay off this 'locked in' hyperbole.

As for the rest of your pontification about their capabilities or motives, I prefer to withhold judgement over their actions until the investigation is complete.