1st Edition

Aircraft Command Techniques Gaining Leadership Skills to Fly the Left Seat

By Sal J. Fallucco Copyright 2002
    228 Pages
    by Routledge

    228 Pages
    by Routledge

    A captain must be able not only to fly the aircraft, but also to manage it, manage the crew, and above all, manage his or her resources. In a number of air carriers there may be less than adequate additional training conducted, when upgrading pilots to the very responsible position of captain. However, three things that do not change are the authority, challenges, and responsibilities of being captain. They are as constant today as they will be in the years ahead. Aircraft Command Techniques is a comprehensive examination of the characteristics of the experienced captain. Each chapter begins with an appropriate and relevant anecdote that is analogous to the chapter’s main theme. It then progresses to the chapter’s main objective and finishes with a scenario that the reader is asked to solve from a captain’s perspective using a number of considerations that are offered and should be evaluated when solving the problem. The intent is to help the pilot practise thinking as a captain. Offering a wealth of practical guidance, this book is an ideal platform for pilots or indeed anyone interested in how leadership and management skills are used to achieve excellence. The reader will gain important command skills and will learn how to apply these skills to routine and unexpected situations, in the same way as an experienced captain. The intended readership includes those worldwide in aviation universities and flight schools, in major airlines, in regional and cargo airlines, pilots upgrading to captain and those interested in leadership skill development.

    Contents: Examining the role of captain; Reflecting on your career; Characteristics of effective leaders; Developing judgement and decision skills; Grasping responsibilities; Managing your resources; Learning how to communicate; Guarding against human error; Avoiding the unexpected; Just say no!; Careers within a career; Handling emergencies; Training your replacement; Bibliography; Index.

    Biography

    Sal J. Fallucco's career spanned more than 40 years in aviation, 33 of which were spent flying as a commercial airline pilot following a 5 year tour as a Naval Transport pilot. Type rated on: C-130, C-118, B707, B720, B727, L1011, SA 227, B747, B757, B767, he held a Flight Instructors certificate for both airplane and instrument. His commercial airline experience included 23 years as a management pilot serving as Instructor Pilot, Check Airman, Flight Manager, Manager of Pilots, Director of Pilot Development, Staff Vice President of Safety & Engineering, and Staff Vice President of Training for TWA, and most recently as an Aviation Consultant.

    ’Ever since Wilbur said to Orville, Little brother, do you want to learn to fly?, there has been a need for an educational tool such as this workbook. For 50 years I’ve been a professional educator...and 40 of those years have been in aviation training and in promoting aviation safety. Without reserve I endorse and recommend Capt. Fallucco’s palatable method for nurturing and developing pilots in command--those who are and those who want to be. Numerous approaches exist regarding ON-THE-JOB UPGRADE TRAINING for professional pilots. Fallucco’s approach is actually workable, doable, enjoyable and profitable. It is a results oriented approach that can be applied on a routine and daily basis - all the while enabling pilot personnel to retain a sensitivity to an ongoing need in the profession. It maintains the focus on personal value by use of visualization technique. Through his work, he renders a truly valuable service to the aviation community. Writing from a lifetime of flying experience - both Navy and airline - Captain Fallucco palpably presents his conviction that truly professional pilots are the result of truly professional training methodology.’ Dr Jerry Schmeltz, University of Oklahoma, USA ’Anyone interested in pursuing a professional career as a pilot would profit from reading this book. Based on real experiences of an airline pilot with many years experience flying and directing the training of pilots, the book introduces situations requiring command decisions beyond those of simply flying the aeroplane. This book should be a text book for any college program preparing professional pilots. It provides professional insight to that career field beyond the basic technical skills required to actually fly the aeroplane. The book is really about leadership decisions and judgement calls required of the professional airline pilot. The book is organized in a manner to make it useful as a textbook, but also to p