In the end, it is the PIC who is responsible for the flight.
That is the PRIMARY thing on the Flightdeck.
One of the classic events I knew about was in small airline in the Pacific that hired instant captains from India on a six month short term contract to fly the 737. One was made an instant chief pilot. Some Australian pilots were already in the airline. Several of these Indian captains were quickly "promoted" to check captains. Approaching the island base at night one of these check captains decided to sit in the RH seat as PM instead of the jump seat. He was route checking the two Australian pilots aboard despite himself having never been to two of the airports on the trip. Company SOP was that the route check captain occupied the jump seat to observe the crew in action. The check captain told the captain to conduct an NDB approach as part of the route check.
At 10 miles from the airport NDB at 210 knots the captain (LH seat) asked the check captain to select Flaps 1 in preparation to be at flaps 5 and 170 knots over the NDB as per Boeing FCTM. The check captain said "No - you are too early for Flaps 1" and refused the captains request. Understandably this annoyed the captain who again politely asked for flaps 1.
Again the Indian check captain acting as PM refused to select flaps 1 and reiterated that there was no need to reduce speed yet. This further annoyed the real captain in the LH seat who was concerned that they were getting close to the NDB and needed to configure for the approach. The captain was now getting desperate at the interference of his command by the check captain PM and said "Do as you are told first officer - and give me Flaps 1 NOW."
The Indian check captain arced up and said "I am a check captain - not your first officer" The end result was a poisonous cockpit atmosphere with the captain having to resort in selecting his own flaps. The landing was completed in the dead of night in stony silence. The following day the captain submitted an incident report to the local one man Director of Civil Aviation, detailing the unfortunate pompous attitude of the newly promoted Indian check captain who had only been with the airline for less than a month. The report was way beyond the limited intellect of the local DCA who ignored the report.
A few days later the captain was in front of the chief pilot for tea and no bikkies. The chief pilot by coincidence just also happened to be the check captain in question. As I said it was a very small airline
"You have failed your route check" announced the chief pilot. The Australian captain was stunned at this news. He had been with the airline as a captain for ten years and had never struck this problem before.
"On what basis did I fail the route check" asked the captain? After all, the previous three leg sectors had gone without any problems when the check captain had occupied the jump seat to observe the crew in action. It was only on the last sector that the check captain had turfed out the first officer and decided to act as PM himself.
"How can I pass you on the route check when you write a letter like that to the DCA about me" said the chief pilot aka the check captain?
The captain thought this over carefully and said "how do I pass the route check"
"You tear up the letter and tell the DCA you made a mistake in writing it" said the chief pilot. "Then you pass the route check" he added.
Two different cultures in the same cockpit doesn't always work out especially when CRM means nothing in such an atmosphere...
