The crew of an aircraft is a rather broad concept. As a rule, it includes not only the crew that takes to the skies, but also the people responsible for the maintenance of the aircraft on the ground. Passengers do not see the latter and often do not even realize how many professionals work in total to ensure that the board safely delivers them to their destinations.
Passenger aircraft
The history of passenger aircraft began in 1913 in Russia. That year, the first passenger aircraft in the history of mankind, the Ilya Muromets, 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. Passenger planes have become jet-powered, with some models capable of flying over 6,000 kilometers. Over time, the composition and number of crew members changed.
Personnel serving the passenger flight
All personnel who serve the flight can be divided into two main groups:
- Staff"behind the scenes", which includes technical specialists on the ground, flight managers 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 authorized to fly must be highly qualified. The lives of passengers, peace of mind on board and high quality of service in flight depend on the skills of these people and the ability to strictly comply with safety requirements.
The safety of a flight as a whole depends on the professionalism of each employee, and it does not matter at all whether he takes off in the air or works on the ground.
Requirements for flight personnel
Having decided on who is in the crew of the aircraft, let's consider 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 cope with this task. Due to the development of technical means, the profession of a navigator has been completely ousted from the flight crew. Also, in the cockpits of modern passenger aircraft, there is rarely room for a flight engineer. As a rule, the crew of an aircraft consists of only the captain of the ship and the co-pilot, not counting flight attendants.
The main requirement for pilots is the so-called "raid". This term refers to the number of hours spent in the air. The higher the "plaque", the more experienced he is considered. For the captain of an aircraft, a minimumwhen applying for a job, 4000 flight hours will appear. At the same time, he must have a valid pilot's license in his hands. The aircraft commander is solely responsible for the safety of the civilian aircraft and makes any responsible decisions.
The requirements for flight time in civil aviation apply to the co-pilot as well. His position is also called Assistant Crew Leader. If he passes training on board, he cannot be called a co-pilot. In the cockpit, the co-pilot is usually placed in the right seat, and the captain in the left. All responsibilities between the two professionals are clearly distributed. Everyone does only their part of the task.
Flight attendants
Stewardesses have always been the pride of civil aviation. Today, the crew of the aircraft as attendants includes not only girls, but also guys. The tasks of flight attendants are extensive:
- Constant monitoring of the aircraft cabin in order to timely respond to any emergency situations.
- Ensuring the safety of passengers.
- Organization of evacuation and timely response to emergencies, including panic on board during severe turbulence, smoke and others.
- Serving passengers.
Depending on the type of aircraft, from one to fourteen flight attendants can work on board. The maintenance manager is often part of the crew of a passenger aircraft. Its composition is determined depending on the legislation, type of aircraftand additional airline requirements.
In modern civil aviation, there is competition in the class of service for passenger transportation. So, it is far from uncommon to find a bartender and a specially trained chef on board. They are also part of the aircraft crew.
Training and retraining of the crew
Nowhere else in the world is a flight attendant license required. Safety training and instruction is mandatory. It includes the ability to swim, quickly respond to emergency situations, training in flight safety standards. Such training is carried out on the ground for several months, after which an examination is taken. Many airlines are closely monitoring that doctors check the he alth of employees who are part of the crew of the aircraft. The staff (photo shown) of which the flight commission consists, necessarily includes specialists, test pilots and flight attendants. Doctors without this practice are not allowed to the commission.
The situation is different with pilots. They must undergo annual retraining, which includes:
- Flight test (taken once a year).
- Flight simulator test (taken twice a year).
- Retraining course on the ground.
Also mandatory for pilots is the passage of a medical board. The same requirement applies to flight engineers. For persons over 40 years of age, a medical commission is held every 6months, for persons under 40 years old - once a year.
Crew Hours
Working in the air is always stressful. That is why all persons who are members of the aircraft crew are diagnosed with lack of sleep and fatigue. The question of how long team members must be at the workplace is regulated separately by each airline, which is based on the laws of the country.
Nevertheless, this question remains acute. This does not apply to flights over short distances. 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.
