Crew Resource Management

Anonymous

AMGMT 202

Manager's Perspective Paper #2

02JAN11

Good Decision Making Means Managing Your Resources

Flying is inherently unsafe, which is why an aircraft has to be in tip top shape to get airborne safely. This is also true for pilots and required crew members. Pilots and crew must be in top shape both mentally and physically. There are steps put in place to make sure that is exactly what is happening, but it's up to ground managers, as well as pilots and crew themselves to continue to use good judgment, stay healthy, and know their mental limits. In this report I will go over the principles behind aeronautical medicine, aeronautical decision making, Crew Resource Management, and the responsibilities of a aviation manager.

Pilots must acquire a medical clearance from one of the current 5,000 or more FAA designated flight physicians, all over the United States. There are three classes of certificates which pilots can obtain with more and more strict physical requirements the higher the class gets. A class three license is for private pilots license only, and is good for up to 3 years. Next is a class two which is good for up to one year while conducting commercial non-airline duties, (crop dusters, charter pilot, and so on) or two to three years as a private pilot. The highest class of medical clearance is a class one which is for commercial airline pilots, and is only good for six months. Medical clearances are required by the FAA, and for a good reason someone with sub pair eye sight or someone with heart problems should not be flying an aircraft. Now these clearances do not always mean a pilot is medically safe to fly, any type of illness can impair a pilots ability, even if the illness is under control of medication the medication may be impairing the pilot as well. As a manager I would keep a spreadsheet style tracker of pilots medical clearance and designate people to check the pilots medical status before every flight as...