copiloting.

[slushie]

Snow's post got me thinkin.
What exactly are the duties/responsibilities?
If I don't go on with an airline, how do I get trained/learn to "be a good copilot."

Are there industry understandings of how you're supposed to support the PIC?

[falconvalley]

Your job is to assist the captain with their duties. The sim schools teach to have the pilot-flying just fly, and the pilot-not-flying do everything else.

I suppose, how well you do as a new copilot depends on how well the captains you're flying with, mentor you. Without sim school, you'll learn as you go. It's getting more difficult to be a copilot without having been to a sim school, though so likely you'd see some of that training you're talking about.

[pilot602]

Originally Posted by slushie

Snow's post got me thinkin.
What exactly are the duties/responsibilities?
If I don't go on with an airline, how do I get trained/learn to "be a good copilot."

Are there industry understandings of how you're supposed to support the PIC?

Next time you're in the crew room, go over to the bookcase, pick up the FOM and in Chp.1 there are job descriptions (although you should have an FOM available over there in the ramp room too, I suspect). Anyway look up the job description of a First Officer. First thing it says is to "assist the PIC."

Now, in the real world ... I've found that a good SIC treats his job as if he/she were the PIC. Do a little extra, always ask the CA if they need anything extra, be funny/sociable but also be able to sit there and fly without saying a word. The key to being a good FO, IMHO, is being able to read the person you're flying with and adjust to the situation.

But, also remember, that in most cases the FO is doing 70% to 80% of the "work" (walkarounds, preflights, TOLD cards, etc.) so the most important thing you can do is your job and do it without being told.

Try to take the best from each pilot you fly with and incorporate it into your "world view" but be ready to ignore/pass off the stuff that gets under your skin.

I dunno just ramblings from an FO ...

[zmiller4]

The key to being a good FO, IMHO, is being able to read the person you're flying with and adjust to the situation.

No kidding. You can do the things that are specified in the manuals, do you job without being prompted, but I think that the above is the key to being a good FO. Because every captain operates a little differently--and has likely been doing so for years--a good FO will understand how the captain wants things to go and (within the boundaries of safety) tweak their actions accordingly.

Try to take the best from each pilot you fly with and incorporate it into your "world view" but be ready to ignore/pass off the stuff that gets under your skin.

Absolutely. And, since (almost) every FO wants someday to be a captain, notice a captain's characteristics that you like and those you don't, so when you're in the left seat you can work as well as possible with the FO's you fly with.

[fish314]

Some other sources of "good copiloting knowledge": (All of the below is coming from a military perspective. May be some differences in YOUR organization.)


-The Dash 1 (I think the civilians call this the Operating Handbook or Operating manual, or some such. It's the book that tells you how to fly the plane) may specifically dole out duties to the "Pilot" or "Copilot", and it may dole out duties to the "Pilot Flying" or "Pilot Not Flying." Or it may use both sets of terms, or terms like "left seat pilot", "Pilot in Command", "Second in Command", etc. Each airplane is different, and the terminology that each uses may be different as well. Some airplanes also include a whole section on Crew duties, that deal with who does what, when.

-The regulations for your organization. Depending on who you are flying with, (regional, major, freight, military, etc.) they may have very different takes on who does what. You may find information about that here.

-Talking with the people in your organization. Talk to the other Co's (FO's, SIC's, whatever) and see what they do to help back up the pilot, but also talk to the AC's (PIC's, Pilots, left-seaters, whatever) and see if they like/dislike those things. The worst co-pilot I ever flew with was trying too hard to act like a pilot-in-command and requested changes to clearances without ever discussing them with me first. I would have traded him for an empty seat to my right any day of the week!

[mrivc211]

602- you online yet? Base?

[pilot602]

Originally Posted by mrivc211

602- you online yet? Base?

Heh, I wish, I start training Monday ... a girl in my SCE class who started over at SKW in early June just got PSP. I suppose I'll shoot for there as well the rest of her class got San Louis Obispo (spelling) and Fresno.