Human Resource Management for TAA Pilots and Flight Engineers

Abstract

Elying at 30, 000 ft in the cockpit of a commercial jet aeroplane, working in cramped conditions, under pressure, with one or two other colleagues, is a real test of team work. This is the environment within which the captain, first officer, and flight engineer of the modern jet aeroplane work every day.

They carry major responsibilities. Invariably there are between 100 and 350 people in their care, whose lives depend upon crew teamwork and decision-making. The aircraft they fly, together with the cargo carried, is worth many millions of dollars. They work to tight deadlines, often in difficult weather conditions and have to exercise a wide variety of management decisions.

However the job of the modern aircrew has, until recently, not been looked at from a managerial point of view. The emphasis has been on technical training. Human factor research where it has been applied has traditionally focussed on the individual pilot, rather than the aircrew as a group.