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First officer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the civil aviation rank. For military use, see Executive Officer.
In commercial aviation, the first officer is the second pilot (co-pilot) of an aircraft. The first officer is second-in-command of the aircraft, (second to the Captain). Control of the aircraft is normally shared equally between the first officer and the captain, with one pilot normally designated the "flying pilot" and the other the "non flying pilot" for each flight. Even when the first officer is the flying pilot, however, the captain remains ultimately responsible for the aircraft, its passengers, and the crew. In typical day-to-day operations, the essential job tasks remain fairly equal.
Because many airlines promote by seniority only within their own company, the first officer may at times have more flying hours than the captain, by virtue of having experience from other airlines or the military. Traditionally, the first officer sits on the right-hand side of a fixed-wing aircraft and the left-hand side of a helicopter.
