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A good First Officer would...

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Flyerdan

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 23, 2007
Posts
231
Starting a thread like this may not be a good idea but maybe there will be some positive responses.

I am looking to compare notes with other FO's & CA's about how best to grow as an FO and prepare for upgrade.

For the CA's - what kinds of things did you start to do as a FO before you upgraded? And are there some things you would like to see your FO's do that they are not doing (be nice please)?

For the more seasoned FO's - are there things that you do now on a regular basis that you didn't do when you first started?
 
A Good FO will not try and be a right seat CA. They will also do their job and do it to the best of their ability. They will be assertive if need be. They will also take no nonsense from CAs who try to micromanage or bully them. They will aslo cover the CA's a-- if he's messing up. (It's your butt on the line as well) They will also treat the other crew members with respect and dignity, even if they are non deserving.
Above all, maintain their professionalism, even if the others don't.
 
Things I do now that I didn't do when I first started:

"One to go..." (spoken through half a creamcheese bagel)
Self Initiate Checklists
"Jorge's flying!"
"Up and after"
Take out the trash
Better express my feelings towards CA's: ("Go f(beep)ck yourself" for instance)
I can land now without setting off the ELT

-Brett
 
A good FO always clears your right, eats the chicken, and dances with the fat chick. :)

2 cents
When it comes time for upgrade, you can already fly the plane. Try to start thinking like a leader. Don't step on your captains toes but try formulate your own decisions about the situation at hand. Be prepared to be more of a manager as a captain.
 
When you're getting close to upgrade, tell the captains you're flying with. Most guys will give you little pointers they use in day to day operations, and some will have let you a little more latitude with decision making.
 
The best advice I can give is to start thinking how you would handle tough situations (holding, diversions, pax issues, mtx problems, misc delays, etc.)if you were the Captain. That doesn't mean step on the Captain's toes by being overly assertive but think about what you would do in the situation, because when you upgrade, everyone will be looking at you for the answers and that's when you earn that huge bump in pay (yeah, right) over what you make as an FO. It also helps you to be a better FO because you may think up an alternative that the Captain may not have thought about, and any good Captain is always open to suggestions before making a final decision.
 
You're upgrading soon? Sheesh. What airline do YOU work for? The rest of us are moving backwards.


A good First Officer would...

1) Distract (and seduce if need be) the fat chick at the bar so the Captain can score with her hot friend.

2) Take credit for all bad landings.

3) Learn how to take a hint (Sudoku and Crossword Puzzels = shut the hell up).

4) Do your job and stop inventing procedures.
 
A good FO (and CA, for that matter) will NOT wear cowboy boots in the cockpit. We are not cowboys, we're pilots.
 
All that I ask is that you anticipate what I want before I realize that I want it.

And, I wear Justin Ropers.
 
Ask the captain to walk through decisions with you. Ask if you can make the call to MX when something needs to be deferred. Most captains are more than willing to help you prepare for upgrade
 

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