Captaincy

[Vee One...Rotate]

Hello,

First off, I'm a fledgling PPL student with commercial aspirations whose just had the pleasure of his first solo flight. Okay, so quite a way to go yet, but we all have to start somewhere...!

My first solo, coupled with the current plan to start professional flight training some time next year, has led me to take an interest in the qualities a good captain/leader should have.

At this early stage, I'm simply interested in learning a little bit more about good captaincy, relevent to all types of flying. Could any of the pros on this forum point me in the direction of some good reads which touch on the subject? Introductory preferably but I'm happy to browse anything. Something specific to flying rather than the generic leadership, decision-making, problem-solving, assertiveness, etc. texts out there.

Not the most exciting or intriguing question/request on these forums admittedly but there you have it :)

Thanks for any input guys,

V1R

P.S. I've read, and really enjoyed, Ernest K. Gann's "Fate Is The Hunter", which, I think, gives a good insight into captaincy which is probably just as relevent today as when it was written.

[Miserlou]

Fate is the Hunter and Stick and Rudder (langeweische) should be compulsory reading for all licences.

I was taught 'accuracy and efficiency are the by-words of good banking' when at school. It is also true in aviation.

I'm not sure captaincy is something one can learn as such. Perhaps it's more of an attitude.

[Vee One...Rotate]

Thanks Miserlou.

I'm not sure captaincy is something one can learn as such. Perhaps it's more of an attitude.

In my limited experience, this seems to be very true.

V1R

[Spektor]

V1R ,

I assume you read the thread so kindly offered above. The practical advise offered at the end is very true, take it and use it, just not during an airline interview! The rest of it is poison. I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the guy flies for one of the struggling US "Legacy Carriers". So he is bitter - imagine that!

Seniority - yes there is such a thing, and in the USA it is taken to the level of a Holy Book, it is both rigid and dogmatic, and there really is no way around it... unless you get hired by, for example, one of the regional airlines who are expanding at an explosive rate. A good friend of mine just got hired by one of these - an experienced pilot already, he got trained as an FO, flew in the right seat of an RJ for about a week... and got a Captain upgrade! His seniority number is still very close to the bottom, but I am sure it doesn't look all that hopeless from the left seat. And all those FOs who are senior to him, just don't meet the company's experience requirements for command yet. Look at some of the Low Cost Carriers - the upgrade times for these range from 18 month to 3 years - not bad, if you ask me. Heck, some even hire Direct Entry Captains. Besides, if you are from Europe - things are a little different on your end. That seniority thing gets thrown right out the window if it is in the company's interest to do so. And don't forget, once you get the coveted invitation to go for an upgrade training, you still have to be able to hack it, small seniority number or not! The number of people who fail command training is not as small as to be disregarded. I think its best to view seniority as an arbitrary thing - it helps companies deside who gets awarded what first, be it upgrades, nicer trips, benefits etc. It is a way to encourage loyalty. The industry is shifting away from finality of it, and if you ask me, its for the best. Some things should be based on merrit, just like in other professions.

Don't embark on yor future career as an airline pilot thinking that the company you are going to work for will take care of you for the rest of your days. True some companies might, some more than the others, but it is no certainty, no matter how strong your airline's position might seem when you get on with them. When the going gets tough, which it will at some point, jobs and employee benefits are among the first things to be cut - it is one of the major costs which companies can actually control. Don't get me wrong, it sucks when you get furloughed, when you have to make concessions, and the airline CEOs getting muliti-million dollar bonuses while employee pension funds are going down the toilet is an outrage, but is this really something new, something that never happened before? Sure it has, and all of us, including mister "I-am-captain-my-life-sucks" author of that article, knew it ahead of time. So the moral is - be prepared for it, mentally AND financially. Nobody (accept maybe for your parents or your sugar-mamma/daddy, and even them only to a point) is more interested in taking care of number one, then the number one him/herself. It is naive to think otherwise. Again - is it something new, something that applies only to the airline industry? I think not. It is called common sense - can't have too much of that commodity, no matter what you do.

Flying is the best job in the world. You are right in thinking that, and I wish you all the best. It has its challenges (again - surprise, surprise!), and like anything else in life which is worth having, it is hard to get. Yes, you will have to jump through numerous hoops on your way there and when arrived. Yes you will put yor license, your career and your life on the line every single time you go to work. Yes, you will have to make sacrifices and some of them will be big. Keep it in mind, but don't let it overshadow the bright side, which is there, and which is just as bright as ever. Whatever made you want to be a pilot on a personal level - hold on to that. Doing something you love is the greatest reward possible. A single sun rise you will see from the flight deck is worth a thousand medicals.

...Positive Rate...Gear Up!
Spektor. :cool:

[Vee One...Rotate]

Miserlou,

I've recently got a copy of Stick and Rudder - I'm only a few chapters in but it's definately very readable so far - helps you think about technical subjects in an easy-to-grasp way. It makes it easy to translate them to practical flying.

I-FORD,

Thanks for the link - an interesting read.

Your crew's welfare is just as important as your passengers'. Make sure on layovers that everybody gets to their rooms unscathed. Buy some dinners, rent some cars, rub in some sunscreen -- be there for them.

Sounds like the (alcohol-induced) camaraderie of my student days...though I got to do less rubbing of sunscreen than I would have liked...

Spektor,

Thanks for a great post. Must say the view from the desk does appeal - must be an improvement on my current filing cabinet, novelty aviation-themed mug and scaffolding...!

Cheers guys,

V1R

[Max Angle]

You certainly do learn captaincy, you need the right attitude for sure but I am a much better captain now than I was when I got my command 5000 hours ago. I am more aware of whats going on, more able to deal with technical and crew problems and more confident when it comes to standing my ground about an operational, weather or technical matter.

[Earthmover]

A very good question - I'm not able to improve on the excellent advice so far, but that already-mentioned little section in the Avweb download that says "rub in some sunscreen" ..... hmmm ..... if you try that lark with the cabin crew then, - well let's just say that it would be what the medical profession call "contra-indicated!!"

Seriously, Ken Bere (Beere?) in his excellent book 'Bluff your way on the Flight Deck' mentions having "an honours degree in self-doubt"

He's dead right.

All the best and good luck. EM ;)

[A330AV8R]

"A single sunrise or sunset from FL 360 is indeed worth a thousand medicals " Il agree to that 100% . . . . . All I can say is youve chozen a very noble profession . . . . . were in the business of transporting souls and hell what a ride it is !

All the very best to ya !

Flex35 SRS RWY !!!!!

[Vee One...Rotate]

Thanks for the words of advice and encouragement :ok:

Seriously, Ken Bere (Beere?) in his excellent book 'Bluff your way on the Flight Deck' mentions having "an honours degree in self-doubt"

I've also got a copy of this - think it's knocking about somewhere at my parents' house. A funny read :O

V1R