COCKPIT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Above is the dreaded "box" or "stim-ulator". Note the large powerful hydraulic jacks. Inside are the next batch of pilots flying around the "killing fields". So now that another successful PPC is done and my licence signed off for another 6 months, it's time to start looking ahead to next week for my first "Line Check" flight scheduled for the 14th of November. During this flight, a check captain and myself will fly to Cancun and back to Toronto with a normal load of sun-seeking Canadians. He will hopefully sign me off after this flight indicating that I'm "good-to-go" after a 6 month abscence and I can continue flying "the line". Even though this captain (and all captains) are know as the "pilot-in-command" or (PIC), both the PIC and First Officer (FO)(formally co-pilot) must work together well in this unusual enviroment that can be boring as hell one moment then heart-thumpingly stressful the next. This is where CRM or Cockpit Resource Management comes into play. There was a time not too long ago where the captain was the ultimate decision maker and what he decided was the "end of story". These days it's different. Although the buck stops in his lap, he HAS to consult with not only the company dispatchers but also his first officer and in some cases the flight attendants when certain decisions have to be made. There has been many an accident over the decades where people have been killed over very poor decisions made by the captain and the captain alone. In most of these cases, the first officer was too scared to speak up when he knew that there was something amiss. And understanding the human condition, one must understand that in some cases it's understandable to feel lowly when theres a very experienced person sitting next to you with thousands of hours and you have only hundreds. Things are changing though. Every year we are required by Transport Canada to attend a ground school where we analyze a certain crash and try to see what WE could have done differently to avoid the crash. It's a very interesing to think that back in the day he was Boss, the Big Kahoona and he knew it. With this CRM now in place, it's now just one of hundreds of preventative links in the chain to prevent an accident. Here's a good example of very poor CRM in REVERSE! (click here). In my day I've been lucky enough to work with some pretty good guys but just like everywhere else theres always someone who rubs you the wrong way or you might think theres something wrong with him. Now this guy (click here) is an interesting study. I don't think I could have NOT said anything like his first officer did. Putting aside good CRM, I would have been tempted to say..."What the F___'s wrong with you"?