The crew of the aircraft is a fairly broad concept. As a rule, it includes not only the team that rises into the sky, but also the people responsible for the maintenance of the board on the ground. Passengers do not see the latter and often do not even realize how many professionals work to ensure that the board safely delivers them to their destinations.
Passenger plane
The history of passenger aircraft began in 1913 in Russia. That year, the Ilya Muromets passenger plane, the first in the history of mankind, created by Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky, was successfully tested. The plane could carry not only passengers, but also cargo, and was also a bomber.
Since then, much has changed in this area. Airplanes carrying passengers became jet, some models are able to cover distances of over 6,000 kilometers. Over time, the composition and number of crew members changed.
Passenger flight staff
All personnel who serve the flight can be divided into two main groups:
- The staff is “behind the scenes”, which includes technical specialists on the ground, managers serving the flight at the airport, dispatchers and other employees.
- The crew of the aircraft. Its composition depends on the type of aircraft. These include the captain, co-pilot, engineer and flight attendants.
The crew allowed to fly must be highly qualified. The lives of passengers, calm on board and high quality flight service depend on the skills of these people and the ability to clearly comply with safety requirements.
The safety of the flight as a whole depends on the professionalism of each employee, and it does not matter if he takes off or works on the ground.
Flight crew requirements
Having decided on who is part of the aircraft crew, we will consider the professions in more detail.
In the Soviet period, three or four crew members were directly responsible for the flight. Today, two or three crew members are coping with this task. Due to the development of technical means, the profession of a navigator was completely supplanted from the flight crew. Also, there is rarely a place for a flight engineer in the cockpits of modern passenger aids. As a rule, the crew of the aircraft consists only of the captain of the ship and the second pilot, not counting the flight attendants.
The so-called "raid" is presented as the main requirement for pilots. This term refers to the number of hours spent in the air. The higher the “plaque”, the more experienced it is considered. For the captain of the aircraft, a minimum of 4,000 hours of flying time will be indicated at the time of hiring. Moreover, in his hands he must have a valid pilot’s certificate. The aircraft commander is solely responsible for the safety of the civilian side and makes any responsible decisions.
The requirements for flying in civil aviation are applicable to the co-pilot. His position is also called Assistant Crew Commander. In the case of passing training on board, he can not be called a co-pilot. In the cockpit, the second pilot is usually located in the right seat, and the captain in the left. All responsibilities between the two professionals are clearly distributed. Each performs only its part of the task.
Flight attendants
Flight attendants have always been the pride of civil aviation. Today, the crew of the aircraft as maintenance personnel includes not only girls, but also guys. The tasks of flight attendants are extensive:
- Constant monitoring of the aircraft cabin with the aim of timely response to any emergency situations.
- Ensuring the safety of passengers.
- Organization of evacuation and timely response to emergencies, including panic on board with severe turbulence, smoke and others.
- Passenger service.
Depending on the type of aircraft, one to fourteen flight attendants can work on board. The service manager is often on the crew of a passenger aircraft. Its composition is determined depending on the legislation, type of aircraft and additional requirements of the airline.
In modern civil aviation, there is competition in the passenger service class. So, it is far from uncommon to find on board a bartender and a specially trained chef. They are also part of the crew.
Crew training and retraining
As a rule, anywhere in the world does not require a license for cabin crew. Mandatory is the training and safety briefing. It includes the ability to swim, quickly respond to emergency situations, training on safety standards. Such training is conducted on the ground for several months, after which an exam is taken. Many airlines closely monitor that doctors check the health of employees included in the crew of the aircraft. The composition (photo is presented), of which the flight commission consists, necessarily includes specialists testing pilots and cabin crew. Doctors without this practice are not allowed on the commission.
The situation with the pilots is different. They must undergo retraining annually, which includes:
- Flight test (rented once a year).
- Test on flight simulators (rented twice a year).
- Retraining course on the ground.
It is also mandatory for pilots to undergo a medical commission. The same requirement applies to flight engineers. For persons over 40 years of age, a medical commission is held once every 6 months, for people under 40 years of age - once a year.
Crew hours
Work in the air is always associated with stress. That is why all persons who are part of the crew of the aircraft are identified with lack of sleep, fatigue. The question of how long the team members should be at the workplace is regulated separately by each airline, which is based on the legislation of the country.
Nevertheless, this question remains acute. This does not apply to short-haul flights. But with flights lasting 10-16 hours, the issue is resolved individually. There are still no general rules on the norm of hours in civil aviation.