Airline Operator shall take all reasonable measures to ensure that all persons carried in the aeroplane obey all lawful commands given by the commander for the purpose of securing the safety of the aeroplane and of persons or property carried therein.
The Company will nominate one of the pilots to be the aeroplane commander for each flight or series of flights.
Responsibilities of the Commander
The commander exercises the final authority in relation to the operation of the aeroplane.
1.Be responsible for the safety of all crew members, passengers and cargo on board, as soon as he arrives on board, until he leaves the aeroplane at the end of the flight.
2.Be responsible for the operation and safety of the aeroplane from the moment the aeroplane is first ready to move for the purpose of taxiing prior to take-off until the moment it finally comes to rest at the end of the flight and the engine(s) used as primary propulsion units are shutdown.
3.Have authority to give all commands he deems necessary for the purpose of securing the safety of the aeroplane and of persons or property carried therein.
4.Have authority to disembark any person, or any part of the cargo, which, in his opinion, may represent a potential hazard to the safety of the aeroplane or its occupants.
7.Ensure that all passengers are briefed on the location of emergency exits and the location and use of relevant safety and emergency equipment.
8.Ensure that all operational procedures and check lists are complied with in accordance with the Operations Manual.
9.Not permit any crew member to perform any activity during take-off, initial climb, final approach and landing except those duties required for the safe operation of the airplane.
10.Ensure that the pre-flight inspection has been carried out.
The commander shall ensure that:
Prior to Flight
The commander obtain and check all available aeronautical and meteorological information pertinent to his next flight including NOTAMs, SNOWTAMs, runway and conditions, temperature / pressure reports, and upper wind and aerodrome meteorological forecasts.
This information will enable the commander
He conducts a crew briefing, relating information and particulars pertinent to the individual flight.
He ensures that the prescribed pre-flight checks and inspections have been or are being carried out, and decides whether to accept or not to accept the aeroplane with unserviceable items allowed by the CDL or MEL.
When preparing the flight, he shall, by examining the available documents and maintenance releases of authorized personnel, determine and certify by signing the appropriate documents that:
1.The aeroplane is airworthy
2.The aeroplane configuration is in accordance with the CDL
3.The instruments and equipment required for the flight to be conducted are available
4.The instruments and equipment are in operable condition except as provided in the MEL
5.Those parts of the operations manual which are required for the conduct of the flight are available
6.The documents, additional information and forms required to be available are on board
8.Ground facilities and services required for the planned flight are available and adequate
9.The provisions specified in the operations manual in respect of fuel, oil and oxygen requirements, minimum safe altitudes, aerodrome operating minima and availability of alternate aerodromes, where required, are complied with for the planned flight
10.The load is properly distributed and safely secured
11.The mass of the aeroplane, at the commencement of taxiing and takeoff roll, will be such that the flight can be conducted in compliance with the OM Part B
Prior to taxiing, he must ensure that:
In Flight
In flight, the commander continues to supervise, direct and coordinate the tasks / work of his entire crew so as to obtain a maximum of good airmanship for the conduct of the flight.
He ensures:
After Flight
After flight, the commander ensures that the Flight and Aeroplane Technical Reports are completed.
He prohibits erasure of data recorded on a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder in the event of an accident or incident having occurred which may be subject to mandatory reporting.
He hands over the aeroplane to the next crew or to the maintenance personnel, or parks, locks or seals and secures the aeroplane properly.
At aerodromes without handling personnel under contract to the company (e.g. after a diversionary landing) it is the commander’s responsibility to ensure that all passengers, the airplane’s load (e.g. live animals) and the aeroplane are well taken care of. He must also ensure the security of the aeroplane.
He files written occurrence reports as prescribed in OM part A Section 11, communicating also by telephone or facsimile if necessitated by the urgency of the matter.
He directs the attention of appropriate personnel to technical and operational particulars and problems encountered.
First Officer Co-pilot
The co-pilot is the commander’s deputy. He If the commander becomes incapacitated the co-pilot assumes the commander’s authority and the responsibility for the aeroplane and its crew, its passengers and load.
Therefore, it is his duty to responsibly participate in the preparation of the flight and to attentively monitor its progress in order to be able to assume this authority/responsibility at any given moment.
He cooperates, in a responsible manner, as a member of the airplane’s crew, and meticulously performs the work routinely assigned to him or delegated to him by the commander. It is his duty to:
Report to the commander any fault failure, malfunction of defect, which he believes may affect the airworthiness or safe operation of the aeroplane or aeroplane systems.
Report to the commander any incident that has endangered, or may have endangered, safety.
Make use of the company’s incident reporting scheme in accordance with Part B. In such cases, a copy of the report shall be communicated to the commander concerned.
Prior to Flight
The co-pilot shall meet the company’s qualification and requirements. If the conduct of the flight or part thereof is to be delegated to him by the commander, he must meet the requirements of Route and Aerodrome Competency Qualification.
He participates in the commander’s crew briefing, and avails himself of all relevant aeronautical (NOTAMs etc.) and meteorological information (including forecasts and runway condition reports) as well as of relevant papers documenting the airplane’s technical status and its anticipated load.
By delegation of the commander, the co-pilot will usually:
Calculate the take-off data and the operational flight plan and file the corresponding ATS flight plan (whenever those tasks have been delegated to others, he shall cross-check these documents before handing them over to the commander for signature),
Check that the prescribed manuals, maps, charts, documents and forms are on board and cover the airplane’s intended operation including possible crew changes until return to a home base,
Check the radio and navigation equipment for proper functioning,
Ascertain that fuel on board and fuel assumed for take-off data calculation are identical, and equal to or higher than the minimum fuel specified by the operation, flight plan.
At Stations without qualified personnel check use of the correct fuel type, and supervise the fuelling of the airplane, and ensure proper distribution of fuel.
In Flight
In flight, the co-pilot – as directed by the commander – executes the tasks and functions of either the pilot flying or the pilot not flying. He shall not perform any activities during critical phases of the flight other than those required for the safe operation of the aeroplane.
He assists the commander in the management of the flight deck work by:
Observing a well-balanced task distribution,
Systematic cooperation and exchange of information,
Monitoring the flight progress and the airplane’s systems,
Maintaining visual lookout, and
Monitoring the performance of other cockpit crew members.
Notwithstanding the overriding authority of the commander it is of the utmost importance that the co-pilot draws the attention of the commander to facts, circumstances or unfavorable variables which may impair the safety of the flight and which may not yet have been noticed by the commander.
Such facts and circumstances may be: expedience of limitations, abnormal indications, changes in meteorological conditions en-route or at alternates/destination, ambiguous ATS clearances, deficiencies in Navigation or the airplane’s handling, abnormal response of the airplane to controls input etc.
The co-pilot deals with all documents which have to be completed (e.g., operational flights plan, occurrence reports, Flight and Airplane Technical Report).
After Flight
After flight, the co-pilot assists the commander in/by:
Relief Pilot
National Aviation Authorities & Security Regulations should always be adhered To Airline policy on admission to flight deck is:
No person, other than flight crew members assigned to a flight, shall be admitted to, or carried on, the flight deck unless the commander himself or his designated deputy is present on the flight deck.
The final decision as to the disposition of other vacant crew seats, again, rests solely with the commander.
Normally, such permission will only be granted to employees of the operator, or of other operators, or to employees of aeronautical or other authorities.
(e.g., crew seats which are not certificated for occupation by crew members during takeoff/ landing or specified other phases of flight e.g., because of emergency – evacuation problems, shall not be occupied by other persons).
The commander shall not grant permission for occupation of a vacant crew seat located at an emergency exit to any person who has be denied seating at such exit or to any other person lacking sufficient strength or dexterity to operate and open the emergency exit, to exit expeditiously, and to assist others in getting off an escape slide.
The crew member responsible for safety in the cabin shall brief a person who has been granted permission to occupy a vacant crew seat on all safety relevant aspects connected with that seat and, if it is at an emergency exit, on how to operate and open the door in an emergency (stressing, however, that the door shall be opened only after the appropriate command has been given, and the crew member assigned to that exit is not capable of performing these actions).
Vacant crew seats in the flight deck may be occupied by a person who is not a member of the operating flight crew or cabin crew provided that:
Note: Multiple seat occupancy is not permitted.