You must always remember that regardless of your relatively low flying hours you wear the mantle of second in command. You are not just the boy in the right hand seat. If there is an incident or, heaven forbid, a bad accident, you as second in command may well be deemed in a court to bear some responsibility.
It is folly to simply hunch your shoulders and meekly accept unwarranted criticism from the arrogant fool in the left seat. By cowering and accepting that criticism from the captain is part and parcel of being a second in command, then you make a rod for your own back. Give in to a bully and you wear the consequences.
While constructive criticism should be welcomed, the carping tirade of sarcastic words from a senior crew member must not be accepted by you - unless you lack the character or bottle to call a halt. Of course the risk is always present that a serious altercation of words will only result in your being invited by the chief pilot for a cosy chat. Chances are that even if your retort to the captain is justified, seniority rules and you will be labelled a trouble maker. Never plan on winning against seniority.
It is a matter of moral courage and it helps if you are articulate and know your stuff. With some tyrants of the left seat, a strong and robust reply to carping can have surprisingly good results and the fool pulls his head in knowing the second in command cannot be trifled with. The danger is in escalation, especially while airborne. Again your commonsense should dicate biding your time until the aircraft is on the deck and the passengers have departed. Then let the bastard have it with both barrels - ensuring your facts are right. That night write down what happened as you need to record these things for future defence.
There is great responsibility and dignity that comes with your appointment as second in command. Unfortunately some captains may treat you as a small boy to be admonished and hectored. Every airline is plagued to some extent by these little Hitlers and management may close its ears to their excesses.
There is never an excuse for bullying or sheer bad manners on a flight deck. Within the bounds of good airmanship you need to speak up and be a man and not be a wimp. Sometimes the clearing of the air produces a happy outcome.
Last edited by A37575; 13th Apr 2007 at 12:07.