2 captain operations
 

I have heard that BD operate two captain ops - I wondered if any other airline does this, and how captains out there feel about it - surely there must be a clash of minds if there are two captains on the flightdeck! Or do you not mind?


Thanks

:cool:

Good question

2 captain operations are prevailant in corporate operations. The captain who is designated as the PIC, must be allowed to be the captain. Even more so the captain who is acting as the F/O should be mature and experienced enough and have the grace to "stand back" and let the captain do his job. Once that is established theoretically the operation should be as safe as a Capt and F/O operation.

However when you go back over accident and incident reports, one or two of the biggest screw ups has happened when two Capts have been flying together, or two training captains etc., etc.

There may be two Captains flying together but there is only ONE Commander - in the case of an Air Transport Undertaking (AOC holder) the commander (in law) on an individual flight is specified by the operator, I believe. He/she is the person who signs the paperwork (Tech Log) etc and is the Commander.

We do it quite often. I've had no problems with it yet.

Generally a trip is assigned originally to 1 Capt and 1 FO, and that Capt retains the PIC responsibilities if another Capt is assigned to replace the FO. If the trip involves several segments, we will usually agree to swap PIC responsibilities on the segments.

In the case where 2 Capts are assigned to an ad hoc trip, the senior one will be PIC unless they agree to switch. The same swap routine as above applies.

Hmmm, two Captains.
Have had this a few times, but generally with an obstinate Flight Engineer, who thought he was the Captain...:ugh:

411A

Your example brings up the possibility of 3 Captains on the beloved Tri-Star!! If there is any worse than 2 Captains, it would be 3. I find it easier to fly with a distinct Capt F/O arrangement. Two Captains and, it seems, each is mentally second guessing the other. If there is anything worse than a Captain who has never been an F/O, it is a F/O who has never been a Captain.

What is harder - a flightdeck where both are captains, or a flightdeck where both are first officers and no captain is present?

Also, what happens to the legal responsibility and authority of Commander when, on a flight lasting over 8 hours, the commander departs the flight deck in order to occupy a crew rest or passenger seat designated as crew rest? Who lands a plane in Newark or Singapore after having been airborne for 19 hours, and what has he or she been doing for the hours before?

You can't have a flightdeck without a captain surely!

:confused:

CJ1234.
You can during long-haul with augmented crews. Captain in the bunk.