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Good First Officers?

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I will NEVER take the fat chick! I figure my job ends when we leave the jetway, if he didnt bring his game thats his problem.
 
Mamba - ok, fine. you take the fat dude then.
 
If the captain is a prick and hassles you alot, throw it back at him by telling him you'd rather do his mom than the fat chick. (then again his mom may be fat so you're still SOL.) That'll tell him to STFU. :D
 
a good f/o is NOT afraid of conflict!!! know your position and know when to assert it. It is ok to tell a capt to get bent if he is out of line. That's your job. alot of us really view the fo as our #1 asset, so stand up !!


ps... (and dont fake your orgasms, girls....captains hate that!!)
 
climb2slow said:
Be adaptable! Learn how to read personalities. Won't take you too long and 2-3 three items into the before start check and you will know what you are dealing with.

This is the best advice I've seen so far. You are a chameleon.
 
Butafucco said:
a good f/o is NOT afraid of conflict!!! know your position and know when to assert it. It is ok to tell a capt to get bent if he is out of line. That's your job. alot of us really view the fo as our #1 asset, so stand up !!


ps... (and dont fake your orgasms, girls....captains hate that!!)


dam good advice here. There have only been about a million crashes that could've been prevented if the FO had stood up and told the captain that he was doing something stupid. That's your job! Don't go looking for confrontation, but know when to assert yourself.

And don't take the fat chick! If the captain has no game, that's his f-cking problem. :) Take the hot one.
 
Continuing with the 'helpful' responses so far:

(just do the opposite of this)

Laugh at all his jokes, whether they're funny or not

If a female, question their capability until proven and make sexually suggestive comments

Leave you're spine at home, never question CA decisions, 'gray areas', breaking FAR's or company policies

Don't make suggestions for a different course of action when you are uncomfortable

If the CA doesn't care about customer service, why should you?

Be assured new CA's, even though some may be cocky, know what they're doing

All CA personalities are the same, no need to read them or adapt to each one

Never volunteer to help out, better to be told what to do

Don't be yourself, be who the CA wants you to be

When challenged if CA has conflicting moral, religious, or political beliefs, don't stand up for yourself, better to lose your self repsect than gain some from CA

Ride CA's hard when they screw up, because you never will

Don't ask "stupid" questions to CA after you think about them, too risky being made to look dumb
 
Time2Spare said:
Mamba - ok, fine. you take the fat dude then.

Dang. Spit beer on the monitor again (and it's an hour before noon, and the beach is HOT, and...). That was some funny, funny shtuff. Thanks, T2S.
 
For all you captains out there, the next time somebody has to choose "the fat one", remember who makes less money and have a little sympathy for your FO!

Let us have the hot chick once in a while!
 
Butafucco said:
a good f/o is NOT afraid of conflict!!! know your position and know when to assert it. It is ok to tell a capt to get bent if he is out of line.
Wrong, wrong, wrong....

The cockpit is no place for anger, or conflict. :(

Certainly, speak up and in the very rare instance (may never happen to anyone on this board) that you see your crew about to bend an airplane, or hurt someone - take the airplane.

I got on the brakes once as an FO because a Captain did not see a hole he was about to taxi into. On another occassion I stowed the spoilers without being prompted because the situation called for an immediate response. In both cases the Captain's one word reply was, Thanks :)

There is no point in getting angry. Getting mad, or being rude, is a distraction. If two pilots are so crossed up about something that they are distracting each other in the cockpit then it is time to bid another trip, see your union's Professional Standards representatives, or a Chief Pilot.

In the rare instance that a pilot is being an @$$, deal with it as long as you can. Don't risk safety by lowering yourself. The illustration that sticks with me is the Alaska ( I think ) 727 that ran off the runway on the Captain's leg. The approach was poor and the FO cautioned that it did not look good, several times. The Captain and Second Officer berated the FO and made jokes about his skills and position. Then, as the airplane was crashing, going into the weeds the FO spoke up, only to say, "I told you so." Proper Crew Resource Management could have prevented that crash.

Captains appreciate a good first officer and dread a first officer that is weak. A good First Officer not only knows their job, the checklist flows, the radio calls, and smooth manipulation of the controls - a good First Officer thinks like a Captain - Is the airplane airworthy? Is the weather and fuel adequate? Does the crew have what they need? Is the crew enjoying their job and focused on accomplishing the mission?

The cockpit is really staffed by two equals. One of the two gets paid more because the Company uses his Certificate to operate the airplane. The person with his Certificate on the line also has ultimate veto power because they have ultimate responsibility. A Captain can delegate authority, but never responsibility.

Because of that fact, it may seem that some Captains are nit picky. Some of these pilots have had problems and are being extra careful. Just as you would be nervous in the passenger seat of somebody's sports car going really fast, Captains can get pretty nervous watching new FO's learning to fly the aircraft. If you are uncomfortable, let the Captain know and you can soften it by saying that you will fly the airplane conservatively.

All Captains have flown with new FO's who see the line as a place to experiment with the things they did not do in training. When this happens is scares the beejeesus out of the Captain if he does not know what is coming. So be understanding if your Captain is sheel shocked from his lask FO experience, if he is tired, or things at home are not going great. Help out your Captain by being open and communicative and feel free to ask for help when you need it. I've done plenty of paperwork and external inspections and if my FO is rushed on a 30 minute turn, I'm happy to help out.

~~~^~~~
 
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PilotSkyBlue said:
Just started as an F/O wondering if any captains out there had any inputs of which characteristics make a good F/O.

You'll never learn the characteristics that make a good F/O until you're lucky enough to fly with someone that has the characteristics to be a good Captain.

When you meet that person for the first time you'll know it right away; then ask him.

Keep in mind that not all people that sit in the left-seat are Captains; most are just pilots with more seniority than you. Sadly, a great many shouldn't be there at all.

Good luck.
 
TonyC said:
You're all delusional if you don't realize the only "picking" is done by the "hot chick."

:)
.
But TonyC you only get to dry hump a box or envelope.

:p

Jobear
 

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