Indeed the three-man system is one of key factors to get the successful landing. With the help of the second captain, many checklists are implemented before landing while Liu can concentrate on “Aviate” and make every decision timely and correctly. If we study the ranking of the three, we can find that is so reasonable and logical. As the Lead Captain, Liu is the highest, the secondary captain is about 8,000 flight hours and FO is a young man with about 2,000 hours.
In fact, Chinese airlines keep the three-man system in many daily routes, especially in remote, bad conditions and long-haul operations. It does cost a lot and often be mocking but more safety in my opinions. In such a three-man system, one of the key considers is the ranking among the three men. In Chinese airlines, the practice is that the top one is designated as the Lead Captain, even he is on the observer’s seat when any accidents happen.
Experiences, qualifications and authority are essential elements in airlines industry, even the industry has introduced a balanced two-man system over three decades.