Question for people in aviation who work as flight crew members....?

Question

Hi, I'm doing a research paper for a Human Factors course as part of my aviation degree program. This basic question is for anyone who works within a flight crew, such as the pilot, co-pilot, steward/ess and etc.

What have you learned about human interaction on the flight deck that you "didn't" know before you started flying in a multi-person crew capacity? Basically anything relevant to you that you'd be willing to share since being a crew member about being a crew member.

Short answers are fine, but any in-depth answers are more than welcome :)

Thanks!

Answer 1

I would suggest you research Crew Resource Management (CRM) documents. Airlines now employ CRM programs to assist in identifying human factors of flight crews that could be detrimental to the "office envirnoment", which includes personality conflicts, domineering individuals, communication and problem solving, and help establish procedure and policy to overcome problematic areas.

     While CRM was designed for pilots, a lot of airlines make it a requirement for their flight attendants, and also flight operations dispatchers, because they are all part of the flight operation family, and need to understand the human dynamics inside the aircraft.

Answer 2

Human Factors is far broader than crew communication and coordination. Actually, I find the differences in current state of the art glass cockpits in business jets versus older technology jet cockpits to be a subject ripe with human factors issues. I fly both and am very frequently reminded of the differences. My strong preference is for the latest technology, which at first was intimidating but which I quickly found to be superior in many ways. For starters, a smart layout enhances flows and checklists and encourages recall of memory items, consolidates scan, reduces the potential for human error, and much more. EICAS is better than an annunciator panel, in my opinion. And on and on.

Answer 3

I spent ten year's in the marine corp as a flight engineer. On C117's  and ch-53 -a-c-d-e models. What do you need to [e-mail]

Answer 4

The only thing you really need to know is that open communication between cabin crew and flightdeck crew is of the utmost importance !  Both need to keep the other informed at all times of any irregular situations.

It does not bode well if one group or person feels intimidated.

Crew are always encouraged to voice any concerns to each other, regardless of their 'rank'.  The First Officer/Captain communication needs to be comfortable so that the subordinate person does not jeopardize safety by being too timid to speak out.  I have read that some hospitals are now using the same type of crew resource management courses as airlines to facilitate better doctor/nurse communication.