Cardinal
Of The Kremlin
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2001
- Posts
- 2,308
My goal is to create an atmosphere relaxed enough so my FO will speak up if she or he is concerned about something or knows something that should be brought to my attention, but strict enough so that I don't get walked on all day long. If this means I pick my battles and every once in a while a procedure is bent, so be it. My brief is I give no brief. I always fly the first leg when I am with someone for the first time. I kind of set the procedural bar and then expect them to conform to it. If they scare me, I get upset otherwise....party on. As for reading in the cockpit....only if it has pictures.
Ditto. If my FO, with a grin on his face, actually says to me "What the fu&# are you doing?" at some point I know my mission for the month has been accomplished. For one, the FO is challenging my (incorrect, idiotic) actions, and secondly, he's doing it in such an otherwise abusive manner that it's clear we have built a solid rapport and that I can challenge/correct him if necessary without completely derailing the cockpit atmosphere.
And after a year or two of FOing I also took to grimacing when the "I'm standard, really laid back, let's stay safe, not get violated, and have fun in that order" line of BS was briefed. It usually meant expect wildly nonstandard flying, at times abject danger, risk to my continued employment and certificate, cockpit tension, and zero fun.
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