First officer (aviation) - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Co-pilot) Flight crew role "Co-pilot" redirects here. For other uses, see Co-pilot (disambiguation). For the AI software, see Microsoft Copilot.

This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (November 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

A first officer at the controls of a de Havilland Canada Dash 8 passenger aircraft

In aviation, the first officer (FO), also called co-pilot, is a pilot in addition to the captain, who is the legal commander. In the event of incapacitation of the captain, the first officer will assume command of the aircraft.

Requirement

Historically, large aircraft had several personnel on the flight deck, such as a navigator, a flight engineer, and a dedicated radio operator. Improvements in automation and reliability have reduced this to two.

Many aircraft require a minimum of two flight crew. The minimum crew requirement will be stated in the aircraft manuals by the manufacturer. In the European Union, all turbo-propeller aeroplanes with a maximum approved passenger seating configuration of more than nine and all turbo-jet aeroplanes require two pilots.

Role

Control of the aircraft is normally shared equally between the first officer and the captain, with one pilot normally designated the "pilot flying" and the other the "pilot not flying", or "pilot monitoring", for each flight. Even when the first officer is the flying pilot, however, the captain remains ultimately responsible for the aircraft, its passengers, and the crew. In typical day-to-day operations, the essential job tasks remain fairly equal. Often the first officer will log time as pilot in command under supervision (PICUS), for the purpose of working towards an airline transport pilot licence.

Traditionally, the first officer sits on the right-hand side of a fixed-wing aircraft ("right seat") and the left-hand side of a helicopter (the reason for this difference is related to, in many cases, the pilot flying being unable to release the right hand from the cyclic control to operate the instruments, thus they sit on the right side and do that with the left hand).

On a long haul flight, there may be multiple captains and first officers on board, to act as relief crew. While the captain rests, the senior of first officers sits in the left-hand seat, as for example on Air France Flight 447.

Some airlines have the rank of "junior first officer", for pilots who are not yet fully qualified. Modern airliners require two pilots. When a junior first officer is undergoing training, a safety pilot will sit in the jump seat to monitor the junior first officer and the captain. A junior first officer is sometimes known as a second officer. After a certain number of flight hours and experience, a first officer can be promoted to senior first officer. A senior first officer will typically have at least 1,500 hours flight experience.

A first officer may be older or have more experience than a captain. A captain may choose to return to a first officer role to take a job at a different airline. Some pilots prefer to remain a senior first officer than pursue an upgrade to captain, due to the benefits of seniority.

References

Leone, Dario (2022-04-24). "Airline pilot explains why the co-pilot is more important than the captain on a plane and why he would rather have a good co-pilot than a good #2 engine any day". The Aviation Geek Club. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
EU OPS (965) Subpart N, Ops 1.940 Composition of flight crew
"Airline Captain and First Officer Explained / ATP Flight School". atpflightschool.com. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
"Career Progression". Pilot Kaki. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
"How to become a Boeing 737 Ryanair Pilot". JohanAero. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
Secchi, Beatrice (12 November 2021). "Ryanair line training". AFTA graduate blog. AFTA. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
"Airline pilot job profile". www.prospects.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
Page, Charlie. "The path to becoming an airline captain -- how pilots climb the ranks". Retrieved 24 February 2023.
"How are pilots evaluated for raises or promotions?". AskThePilot.com. Retrieved 24 February 2023.

Bibliography

Harris, Tom. How Airline Crews Work, HowStuffWorks.com website, June 14, 2001. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
Smith, Patrick. Patrick Smith's Ask The Pilot: When a Pilot Dies in Flight Archived 2015-05-02 at the Wayback Machine, AskThePilot.com website, 2013, which in turn cites:
Smith, Patrick. Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections, Sourcebooks, 2013, ISBN 1402280912, ISBN 978-1402280917.
Flying the World in Clipper Ships at flightjournal.com, 2007.

v t e Commercial aviation
Airlines	Airline codes Airline holding companies Cargo airline Charter airlines Flag carriers Low-cost airlines Non-scheduled airline Passenger airlines Regional airlines
Alliances	Oneworld SkyTeam Star Alliance Value Alliance Vanilla Alliance U-FLY Alliance
Trade groups	International ACO ATAG IATA IATAN IFALPA ISTAT United States A4A RAA Europe A4E ASD ECA EBAA ERA ETWF Other regions AACO AAPA AFRAA RAAA
Aircrew	Pilot in command (Captain) First officer Second officer Third officer Relief crew Flight attendant Flight engineer Loadmaster Aircraft pilot Purser Dead mileage
Airliner	Travel class First class Business class Premium economy class Economy class Basic economy class Aircraft cabin Aircraft lavatory Aircraft seat map Airline meal Airline seat Buy on board Crew rest compartment In-flight entertainment Inflight smoking Galley Sickness bag
Airport	Aerodrome Airline hub Airport check-in Airport lounge Airport rail link Airport terminal Airside pass Airstair Boarding Domestic airport Gate International airport Jet bridge Low-cost carrier terminal Runway Transit hotel
Customs / Immigration	Arrival card Border control (internal) Departure card Passport Timatic Travel document Travel visa (Electronic)
Environmental effects	Hypermobility Environmental effects of aviation
Law	Air transport agreement Air route authority between the United States and China Bermuda Agreement (UK–US, 1946–1978) Bermuda II Agreement (UK–US, 1978–2008) Cross-strait charter Beijing Convention Cape Town Treaty Chicago Convention Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives European Common Aviation Area Flight permit Freedoms of the air EU–US Open Skies Agreement Hague Hijacking Convention Hague Protocol Montreal Convention Paris Convention of 1919 Rome Convention Sabotage Convention Tokyo Convention Warsaw Convention
Intergovernmental organizations	ICAO ECAC Eurocontrol EASA ENCASIA
Baggage	Bag tag Baggage allowance Baggage carousel Baggage cart Baggage reclaim Baggage handler Baggage handling system Baggage sizer Checked baggage Hand luggage Lost luggage (WorldTracer) Luggage lock
Aviation safety	Air rage Air traffic control Air traffic service Aircraft safety card Airport authority Airport crash tender Airport police Airport security Airspace class Area control center Brace position Civil aviation authority Control area Control zone Controlled airspace Evacuation slide Flight information region Flight information service Flight recorder Instrument flight rules Overwing exits Pre-flight safety demonstration Sky marshal Special use airspace Special visual flight rules Terminal control area Terminal control center Uncontrolled airspace Upper information region Visual flight rules
Airline tickets	Airline booking ploys Airline reservations system Airline ticket Airline timetable Bereavement flight Boarding pass Codeshare agreement Continent pass Electronic ticket Fare basis code Flight cancellation and delay Frequent-flyer program Government contract flight One-way travel Open-jaw ticket Overbooking (Overselling) Passenger name record Red-eye flight Round-the-world ticket Standby Tracking Travel agency Travel website
Ground crew	Aircraft maintenance technician Aircraft ground handling Baggage handler Flight dispatcher
Miscellaneous	Air cargo Air travel Aviation taxation and subsidies Mile high club

Categories:

Requirement

Role

See also

References

Bibliography