To what extent is the captain free to invent his or her own procedures, do his or her own thing?
The scope of a captain's authority for the operation of an aircraft is quite clear. In normal operations it requires compliance with company Standard Operating Procedures. It is only when the safety of the aircraft and passengers would otherwise be at risk that a captain may elect to ignore SOPs; however, in such a case, the captain must be prepared subsequently to justify his/her actions.
From
CHIRP
CHIRP says - and without citing an authority, implies that this is understood and accepted - that the aeroplane isn't "the captain's" - it's "the company's" - and the captain has authority delegated to him or her via the ops manual. Where the captain deviates from the ops manual, the company has the right to hold him or her to account: "It's my aeroplane" is not a reasonable defence.
Comments?