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Old 30th Aug 2010, 18:40
  #32 (permalink)  
SNS3Guppy
 
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I had a similar experience with a first officer. I handled it in a similar manner. When I discussed it with the Chief Pilot and the head of the training department for that operator, I was told in no uncertain terms that I shouldn't have permitted the first officer to fly.

In fact, I was told that I should have delayed the flight and had a different first officer put on board. I was told that had I contacted the chief pilot's office at the time, they'd have fired the first officer and replaced him, no questions asked.

I didn't feel that was necessary, nor would that have been my preference to handle the matter. In fact, that's not how I handled it, though I found it very interesting that both the Chief Pilot (and assistant Chief Pilot) and Director of Training were very unified in their decisive view of the situation.

Guppy: delegating your FO's training and recency to the "training department"? Do you really work in GA?
I surely do, and I see no difference between any segments of the industry in which I have worked, be it corporate, charter, military, airline, cargo, ambulance, government contract, etc.

The pilot in command is always pilot in command. The good-feeling notion that the captain is there to train the copilot is superfluous and without merit, save for a particular, specific job in which the captain is so charged (and hopefully so paid).

Now, I've worked for fractional operators and charter operators in which the new-hire was sent to Flight Safety International, or CAE Simuflite, and type rated, or given an initial course, and hired as a F/O. In such a case, when it's time to upgrade, the F/O will undergo upgrade training. If the company wants me to train the F/O for upgrade, then that's fine. Give me the designation, the specific training and checkride to hold the official qualification for that company in that position, and then pay me accordingly...and put it in my job description.

Being a captain doesn't make one a training captain, and unless the company is going to pay for it, don't assume it's my job. It's not.

You may want to be a captain. That I may be a captain doesn't automatically mean I'm obligated to make you a captain, teach you to be a captain, or do anything other than my job. My job doesn't automatically assume that I'm obligated to train you. I have every right to expect that you'll show up in the cockpit ready and trained, and capable. If you're not, that's not my problem.

Likewise, don't show up assuming that I owe you the next leg. I don't.

Chesty, I don't understand your question, sorry. How can you take my statement about adequate time at controls, and apply that to a totally unrelated story about an FO who doesn't understand the concept of "chain of command"????
Chesty gave you an excellent example. The first officer didn't deserve to fly the next leg, and consequently wasn't allowed to do so. That's about as on-point as you can possibly get. Moreover, it was the correct call.
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