To: ALL
Excellent topic, one of the most misinterpreted and at the same time, the most useful tool a professional can utilise.
CRM or Crew/Cockpit Resource Management is, in my mind an art that has to be learned through personal experience and over time.
I remember the first CRM course I took. It was with Air Canada where most of the participants were very senior 747 Training Captains with a few of us fling wing types (Captains and FO's) mixed in.
When we were asked to introduce ourselves at the begining of the course, most of the Senior guys felt they were waisting valuable time off and they didn't need a course of this type. By the end of the course, without exception, the 747 TC's couldn't say enough about the value of the course.
Being a Captain does not mean that you are in a lofty 'godlike' position. It only means you're the one the Prosecutor is going to ask why you didn't do this or that and you make more money.
You have to realise that you're role as an AC is to train you're FO to be an AC and to solicate his/her input on the day to day operations of the aircraft. Your crew, and that goes for all crew, whether you are Offshore with a FO or on EMS with a full ParaMedical team, is your most valuable resource in many situations that you may face.
I guess I'm from the old school of the Military where we didn't call it CRM, we called it Common Sense.
If nothing else, CRM will teach you to recognise what type of Personality you have and how to best adjust it in the day to day Ops and people you are involved with.
BTW, background is 8 years ASW/SAR and 12 years EMS and Offshore, 6700 hours mostly Heavy and Medium S76, S61, BH212.
Cheers, OffshoreIgor
[This message has been edited by offshoreigor (edited 24 January 2001).]