Ca to fo
 

As an up and coming aviator, I am interested to learn from others experiences. If I don’t have to make all the same mistakes as someone else, I will be happy. What are some of the things current captains wish their new first officers knew? What do you wish you had known before your first airline pilot job? What are current pilots lacking when they get to the airlines that should be remedied?

The more senior the FO usually the case is that they are worse at doing their basic job. So my advice is that the longer you sit in that chair don't get so complacent that you basically check out.

show up prepared. As the FO, during your preflight, added tasks like looking up radio frequencies or ops/maintenance frequencies and reading any company briefing charts about general operations in/out of whatever airport we are at. Typically (not always) the captain knows, so it’s best to be on the same page as they are when it comes time to push and go.
don’t get overwhelmed in the box and be completely heads down. Slow and correct is better than fast and mis-typing and having to start over.
be a team player. You’re not in charge, but you’re sure as hell on the team, so speak up when anything doesn’t sound or look right. Even if you think it’s a dumb question, ask it. The captain very likely may have made a mistake.

Learn to say: "Nice landing,Captain, and I'll take the fat one".

It's actually the opposite, especially with all the movement in the industry lately.

If senior FO's are "checking out", there might be another reason for that.

Start thinking about what you would do in X situation as a captain early on when you are an fo is a good idea. Basically don't just sit there and be a bump on a log with the "its not my problem" mindset because you're not the one with 4 strips until you are in upgrade training. Being an active an engaged crewmember is beneficial for the whole crew.

Showing up prepared goes a long way, as others have said. But also having a plan and thinking ahead is also important. I say this because I have had many an FO on OE give a blank stare when I ask them "how are we getting down, whats your plan" when at 30,000 feet and I know the "Pilots Discretion to 5,000 feet" call is coming up later from ATC when doing a turn to an outstation. The "descend via" profiles out there into bigger airports today are generally easier, its the "when do you want to slow down, descend below 10,000 within an acceptable distace to the airport" that fudges people up.

Have pride in your look. Don't show up to work looking like a slob.

And while this job can be stressful and suck at times (commuting, getting that horrible line you really didnt want, flying with that CA/FO/FA that you really dont like, etc), reminding yourself that "damn, this is actually the best office view in the world and i get paid to do this?!" can keep things fresh for you. It is easy to get wrapped around the axle with some crappy parts of this job that people forget that we are doing some people's dream job.

Thanks for the comments. Good things to think about.
wings08 as some one who hasn’t yet been to 30000 as the pilot, I am guessing you would need roughly 75 give or take miles for a nice smooth constant descent. Would that be close? Maybe some speed brakes. I would guess there would be airframe specific procedures as well.

During indoc/initial sims focus on the basics. Study ahead so you know your flows, actions and callouts, EPs, and limitations.
Once you’re in IOE, the one specific piece of advice I wish someone had given me is to study the airport diagrams if you haven’t operated at large airports before. Look for standard taxi routes in your jepp charts and ask your captain about expected taxi instructions. I’m former MIL so I hadn’t operated from large airline hubs. I learned this lesson the hard way.

Of course the usual "know your flows and callouts" forward and backward. I still know the after-landing FO flow by heart after being a captain for awhile. When I get in the airplane after another crew brings it in and I see things like transponder still on TA/RA and such, I know the FO missed it twice, first on their flow and second on the checklist.

Don't do a brain-dump after groundschool. Aircraft systems knowledge is important for the line too. I've seen a crews do some really dumb things because of a lack of systems knowledge.

Think ahead. Don't be lazy. Remember you're a required crewmember, not a lemming. Teamwork is the idea.

When you get to sim training, keep up with tuning radio frequencies and such. Figure out what you'll need for clearance delivery, ramp, ground, tower, departure, etc. Many sim instructors won't pay attention and will let you get away with slop. It will make IOE and flying the line easier if you know how to quickly find the correct frequencies and set up the radios. Most people use the strategy of radio #1 for movement, radio #2 for ATIS, CD, operations, etc.

On the line, prepare and keep ahead of things. Starting with preflight, as an FO I began reviewing the dispatch release and charts in the hotel van, keeping in mind the CA has their job and you have your job. At most airlines it's the FOs job to get the clearance, set up takeoff performance, etc. Which runway will you probably use? What is the takeoff thrust rating and flap configuration for that runway? Will it be an icing takeoff? Any NOTAMS? Are you at some Podunk airport and will have to call FSS or Center to get a clearance? Speaking of which, write your clearances down legibly and don't take shortcuts. Yes, abbreviations are okay, but don't skip it entirely. So what if you always get 3,000 feet after departure, what about the one day it's different, then what? (There was recently a GoJet crew that got busted departing ROA for departing on course instead of flying the heading which was given to them by clearance delivery, not tower. Don't be the FO that gets your Captain in trouble because you didn't do your job.)

If the plane is there start your walk-around as soon as you get to the gate. Don't wait for the CA and FA to go get their coffee and do whatever first. If the plane was just arriving, I'd ask the gate agent to go down when they go down to drive the jetbridge instead of waiting in the terminal. The first exterior inspection of the day will take a bit longer, and you will have more work to do than the other crew members, so get a head start.

If you get there before the captain and see something obvious, like the batteries are dead and you need a GPU but the station doesn't have it hooked up, get a jump on it.

Stay in your lane, especially starting out. Don't perform CA flow tasks just to be nice, even something minor like setting the flight number, as it can be confusing and/or the CA might start forgetting to do that thing and it will be a problem on their next trip.

Write down taxi instructions for the CA. This is usually done on the FMS scratchpad. When I first started, I couldn't press the buttons fast enough, so I wrote the taxi instructions on paper, then put them in the scratchpad.

Don't be afraid to voice any concerns to the captain. "Do you think we should start the other engine now?" Captain will say "Oh yeah I almost forgot, go ahead" or "not yet, I think we will be here awhile."

That's all just on the ground, before you even get in the air. What then? Again, think ahead. But not blindly. I once had a PM get ATIS and start setting up the expected approach 600 or 700 miles away. The weather information will be stale by the time we'd get there. On the flip side, we have a few routes in our system that are like 100 miles or so. I get the ATIS and start running the landing numbers as soon as the climb checklist is complete.

Automation management and hand flying skills are important. When you're PF, work on both of these skills. Scan your instruments just like you were taught when you were in instrument training. The flight director makes your scan easier, but it's not a wholesale replacement for a scan.

Always remember the 3:1 rule. At 30,000, you want to start descending 90 miles out. You can push 80, or maybe 75, but then you're going to need speedbrakes. Have a buffer for descending through 10,000 (in other words, I'd probably give myself more than 33 miles to descend 11,000 if I'm doing VMO/MMO). Don't needlessly descend super early either. "Descend to XX pilot's discretion" doesn't mean "descend now." Use your situational awareness. If you're doing a straight in you'll probably want to be a bit lower, if you have to go to the far end of the field and turn around for an approach, you can afford to be on the higher side. When you're PF, do what you have to do. A few times ATC left us unbelievably high, I put flaps and speedbrakes out at 8,000, then a short while later put the gear down. No go-around needed. Again, the recurring theme here is think ahead.

Don't be lazy. It's tune and identify. Not tune and listen if there are beeps or not. BTW identifying the DME is not identifying the localizer, they are different systems and don't even use the same frequency.

The real airplane doesn't land like the sim. Observe how your captains land and find a technique that works for you. My landings were basically guesswork until I had about 50 hours and noticed one captain seemed to always start the flare just prior to the 500' marks going under the nose. I don't know if he was doing that on purpose or by coincidence, but I replicated the technique and it worked. (This is just an example, don't replicate this technique exactly just because it works for me in the plane I fly. No idea what plane you're flying.) Keep in mind energy management. Did you get slow on approach or cross the threshold at 30 feet instead of 35? Keep your power in longer.

After parking, get the post-flight done. Ask the other crewmembers who wants to call the hotel first. Sometimes no one will, because they thought somebody else would do it. You don't want to stand on a curb for 30 minutes after a long day.

0600 van does not mean 0600ish.

Traditional 3 to 1 rule says 90 miles, assuming the destination is at sea level. Most modern planes will give you a visual cue for TOD.

Absolutely, but this is more a graduate level technique. On IOE, you'll be focused on flying the plane.

With experience you'll learn what the CA's need and when they need it, and you can anticipate and be ready to assist with a lot of it. If the CA is getting task saturated (usually on the ground) offer to make PA's, go coordinate with ramp, gate, ops, etc.

The flip side is that some CA's might consider pro-activeness to be "Right Seat Captain" behavior. There's a distinction between offering to assist, and being pushy or getting way ahead of the CA. But if a CA objects, then you just revert to mushroom mode and play some candy crush.

For IOE, yes review the jepps and company airport info before each day. If you're coming from GA, airline airports have a lot going on compared to Class D/E fields.

Can’t overstate this little nugget. 0600 means car/van driving at 0600 towards airport, not schlepping your bag through the lobby at 0600. Check in times are tight enough without dealing with a crew member who can’t get their ass in the van on time.

Ask, if you are not sure of something.
Have good instrument skills.
Be a few minutes early for show time.

A good plan of action that has been used at the various airlines I've been at are "30 and 10", 30 miles out plan to be at 10,000 feet. That sets up for a good descent plan.

Another example of the "think of what you can do in x situation" is when I was a relatively new fo, we were out of ord with no Apu, in active precip below temp requiring anti ice and arrived at the jet with no heating set up to warm the cabin. In the crj 200, there is a specific procedure for bleed air for takeoff with no Apu and then another procedure for setting up for getting deiced with no Apu. What would your plan be for trying to get out on time, when and where to set up the bleeds for de ice, then takeoff that would maximize pax comfort (no bleeds = no cabin heat). All of this planning for all day flying around in that muck.

And van at 6 means be downstairs at 550.

Also, depending on the carrier, it can be quite easy to track your inbound flight for delays, especially in the summer. Don't be the fo or CA to go to the airport only to find out that your plane is 4 hours delayed for thunderstorms. Unwanted airport appreciation time!

Every airline will have its ups and downs. Don't immediately jump ship to somewhere else when your airline hits a roughpatch unless you're the one getting forloughed.

Everyone is expected to know their job and to accomplish it by the FOM and FM. That being said, this profession has two job discriptions.
FOs: Every Captain might do something a little different. Be a chameleon. As long as you think it is safe, legal, and not going to get you in trouble, generally just roll with it. Even if it's not 100% according to the FOM.
CAs: Mentor, encourage, train when needed. Above all, don't be an a$$.

Don't move for a company unless it's to a long standing hub. Every other domicile is just as likely to close as open.

Seniority is everything. Figure out where you want to end up, research what the best way to get there is, and attack it and don't stop until you get there. If your dream airline doesn't call, but someone else does, consider giving it a chance. You may like it and they might still call.

Don't be a slam-clicker. Hang out with your crews. Doesn't have to be every single layover, but it's a great time to ask non-flying questions about bidding, union stuff, ways to work the system, and how not to screw yourself when doing same.

If a gate agent is likely to be there 20 to 30 minutes early, plan to do the same.

in the day and age of "quiet quitting" and "only doing what you're scheduled", this ain't the profession to do it.

If I knew an agent would be staffing the door (and my plane would be there), I'd always show 20 to 30 early. In the best cases, I was able to leisurely but thoroughly review the flight, check the plane, deal with any MX issues, etc. Then, I'd have some time to "organize my office", catch up on some emails/day trading, eat a snack or just chat with the crew and say hi to the Pax.

In the worst cases, that extra planned time saved my bacon on more than one occasion. Maybe parking was full so you had to drive to the god-awful back lot and pray a shuttle would be there. Maybe some idiot kid wanted to do mach-jesus on I95, crashes and causes a 10 mile backup. Maybe crew scheduling is dealing with a dumpster fire already, forget to assign a new captain and you have to call them and get the ball rolling. Any number of things can screw you 6 ways to Sunday if you're caught off guard.

On a lighter note, don't be afraid to hang with the crew. I am a relatively young guy compared to most of the captains I flew with. It made me a little more hesitant to see if they wanted to do anything. But I'd wager about 90% of them are always down to do something that isn't 'drink at the hotel bar'. Any time we had a decently long LAS overnight, I'd grab a car from hertz and we'd either hit up some really good off-strip restaurants or visit Red Rock canyon. It was a cost effective way to just hang out (could get a decent rental for ~$40-50) and considerably cheaper than Uber. Plus, midnight taco runs to Taqueria casa after getting off a last leg from hell are the best.

Do the best job you can where you are now. Your record and experience will provide benefits in the future, some of which you did not plan for. The bridges burned in aviation are long and well documented. It’s a small world.

Understand that there are no shortcuts, and nobody owes you—also nothing is guaranteed except the engines will quit with no gas in the tanks.

A poor quality FO will likely be a poor quality captain. This goes with my first point.

When it comes to the jobs, you won’t get a job you don’t apply for. Dont expect to be hired at the bare minimums, but get yourself to the mins as quickly as possible (with an excellent record) so that you can start applying when you meet them.

Show up on time and look like a pro. Keep your logbook neat and accurate if in book form; be able to prove your experience (first phase of an interview). If your records look like dogsh!t it throws a red flag.

Save your money and start your retirement fund early. Your medical is what will determine your retirement date, so make better health choices now.

Again, being well qualified is more than technique and systems knowledge. There is always someone better than you—aviation can be humbling, a hard lesson for some. Start now.

know the cockpit flows (before eng start, after landing, etc) and flight maneuvers (t/o, engine out, go-round, inst app, etc) cold… biggest weakness for new and senior pilots I’ve flown with is not knowing these cold and being able to brief them (or execute them) when the flying pilot.

My recommendation has nothing to do with knowledge or skills:

• If you’re not early you’re late.
• Not every hill is worth dying on.

Yes. You learned them in training, but you need to keep them fresh. Normal procedures and flows will become second nature soon enough, but you do need to review things like GA and single engine profiles... otherwise it will be a poop-show when you have to do it (you will do GA's, maybe once or twice a year).

Makes all facets of life so much easier!