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Old July 22nd 06, 04:19 PM posted to rec.aviation.piloting
Travis Marlatte
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Posts: 233
Default CRM for the Private Pilot..

By the posts that I have seen, apparently, there hasn't been much study done
in this area. The articles I have seen over the years either deal with CRM
in a commercial, crew setting or with non-pilot spouses. I did find this
article by Mark Twombly from 1996 that basically says we are a bunch of
independent-minded PICs that need to CYA when flying with other pilots.
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pi...6/mrt9609.html

For context, I am PP SEL, SES, IA. Just a weekend flyer. About 200
hours/year. I have a number of friend pilots that I fly with on a regular
basis.

Flying with another pilot in a small plane is completely different than any
other situation. The commercial guys have been through the same training and
can have the concepts and their role in CRM more clearly defined. With
non-pilot spouses, there is a clear assignment of responsibility and, with
most spouses, an automatic deferal to the PIC. In the beginning, it will be
very much an assignment of tasks by the PIC to the spouse.

Since we are talking about fellow-pilots who are theoretically both capable
of being PIC, it is all about trust and communication. Communication can be
created. Trust must grow. How I approach CRM depends on how much time I have
with the other pilot.

With someone new to me, I make it clear who is PIC. If I am PIC, then I make
it clear what I expect from the other person. If I am not PIC, then I defer
up to a point. If the other pilot hasn't said much by the time they are
ready to turn the key, then I do. I want to make it clear that it is their
flight and that, if they expect me to take an active role, they need to
speak up. What must be avoided is an "if you don't know, I'm not going to
tell you" attitude once airborn.

As the comfort level grows, division of duties can be leveraged. Some of my
flights are IFR refresher flights. I want to do as much of the flying as
possible to simulate single-pilot IFR workload. Most of the time, the other
guy is just a pair of eyes. I do fly with a couple of pilots who I do trust
and they will have a more active role of providing "vectors" and creating
scenarios.

Otherwise, my relationships with other pilots range from identifying sole
responsibility for the flight to shared duties. And, it varies from flight
to flight even with the same pilot. Since we are in a single-pilot plane, I
have had friends show up and say, "I would like to just go along for the
ride today. Is that OK?" I enjoy both. Riding along as the passenger
watching the scenery go by is very relaxing. Interacting in a crew
environment is exciting, stimulating and always a learning opportunity.

Just be sure who is doing the relaxing and who is doing the flying.

--
-------------------------------
Travis
Lake N3094P
PWK

"Doug Vetter" wrote in message
...
Dan wrote:
Can anyone point me towards some good resources for CRM in a
non-professional environment with two pilots? (i.e. which pilot should
do what?)


I wrote an article describing what I do that you may find helpful. Go to
my site and click through:

Aviation-Articles-Miscellaneous-Crew Procedures

And although it's more of a travelogue rather than strictly crew-ops
oriented, you may find another article helpful. Click through:

Aviation-Articles-Travelogues-Crew Operations

Safe flying,

-Doug

--------------------
Doug Vetter, ATP/CFI

http://www.dvatp.com
--------------------