Mind you its just as bad when they say nothing at all what ever you do as the Captain.

You think you've got problems, you should try being married to your FO ... specially when she's always comparing you to mad-jock :p

"your nearly as fat as MJ, luke get it sorted"

Yes, but is he as long?!

That topic never came up, I believe luke had similar views to myself though of its my aircraft I signed for it, and I will fart in the cockpit if I want to.

Bloody good pilot, lukes better half BTW. Some might say the best one in the family ;):p

Everyone, thank you so much for the replies. Well, even though the matter has been forwarded to the training manager, I am trying to evaluate on things that I could have done better.

1. Pre-flight briefing in regards to decision making. A few of the copilots seem to be under the impression that when they are pilot flying, the ultimate responsibility/decisions are up to them. No where in the SOP is this mentioned but I think I have to politely go over this with the copilots before the start of the day. I am thinking of mentioning something along the lines of 'I will consult you for decisions at all times and I encourage you to speak up but the ultimate decision will have to be made by me as mentioned in the SOPs. You are expected to follow my command unless the safety of the aircraft is compromised'. Maybe you gents have a better way of putting it? I am trying to keep a shallow gradient where they follow my lead but at the same time are not afraid to speak up and the atmosphere is the cockpit is friendly and professional.

2. Pre-flight briefing in regards to maintaining VMC. I think I need to ask them during approach briefing that what is their definition/how are they planning to maintain VMC. Also, I plan to ask them about 'What ifs'. If I have covered all this prior to commencing the descent, I think then both the crews are on the same page and makes life much easier especially when things go wrong.

Anyway, thank you once again for the replies.

I wrote the following excerpt while under the influence of a small amount of mercifully wonderful beer, and posted it as advice in the "CRM - Single-Pilot Mentality Captains" thread to a young man on the opposite end of the problem you described. It is probably about the only piece of genuine US Grade-A "Wisdom" I've ever produced (the rest is all pure horse-pucky). Perhaps some of the words may be of use to you in explaining your position and expectations to copilots like the one you describe:



If you are a captain, give your FO's enough space and autonomy to do their job well, and trust (but verify!) them to get it done. Watch what they do when you let them do their job their own way; you just may learn something new. If you don't like it or they aren't up to snuff, take command and change it. But don't pull that trigger over stupid little micromanaging BS things.

If you are a first officer, give the captain enough space and authority to run the ship his own way without constantly second-guessing him on stuff that is more to do with his personal rhythm than flight safety. If it is within the bounds of legality, safety, "standard-enoughness", respect, and reason, learn and try the captain's way of doing things, even if you don't like it, just to exercise your own mental flexibility. Remember that it his ship to run as he prefers to run it. With the exception of the aforementioned points, it is not your place to make him flow with your rhythm, but it IS your place to "be the chameleon" and flow with his. Of the things you learn while doing this, use your judgment to keep what works and chuck the rest. That includes everything I've just written here.

This is all well and good advice until you get into contract work in the third world, and you encounter a situation every other week where the captain is in fact an incompetent, dangerous idiot, who is unreproachable / unfailable / unsackable because of his family connections or whatever.

Well, that is true with regards to the old boy networks at work in those so-called "third world airlines" you mention. At that point one may choose to either go with the flow of the culture he has CHOSEN to work within and "play the game", or just take the jacka$$ captain / copilot out back and "adjust" him in the parking lot one evening.

Which discussion is utterly irrelevant here as the original poster's location shows up as New Zealand, which is about as civilized a country as any I've ever seen:ok:.

you do know the relationships they have with livestock don't you.

Hmm, wasn't that wales and scotland?

Nah they are just spirited amateurs.

The reason why NZ lamb tastes so good is all the love and affection it gets while its alive.

If you say that to a normal FO in briefing,expect him to give you the look of who the :mad::mad: is this retard?:ok:

- simples?:confused:

Many years as a training captain taught me that a short, sharp stick in the FO's eye got their attention.

Mind you: I am 'old school', as you might expect.

Whatever happened to the forked stick, then? Gorn soft have yer?

Standard Brief: Get in Strap in shut the :mad: up and don't touch anything.

For those of the newer folk who might be affronted - even dismayed - by several of the previous posts, they are standard jokes and, I am sure, offered with a touch of tongue in cheek ...

This is how the 'older' F/O deals with an awkward younger Captain, by the way.

CRM

I did hear about one crew after the Bitch comment thing.

Day one everything that normally required a "check" response was replied with by "woof" by the FO.

Second day of this, it started to get on the Captains tits.

Third day the FO's meal consisted of pedigree chum dog food, which the captain had brought in and given to the hosties to dish up.

Day 4 it went back to being "check"