Pilots generally are required to arrive one hour before their scheduled flights. In the case of a two-person crew, one pilot reviews the flight plan prepared by the Flight Control Centre (FCC), which has been loaded onto the aircraft’s computer, while the other inspects the aircraft. The captain will also hold a crew briefing with the flight attendants working the flight.

There are several checklists of tasks to be completed and items to be checked before the plane can take off. The checklists used by the major carriers are mechanical rather than paper-and-pencil, requiring the pilot to flip a switch when each necessary task is accomplished; this reduces the likelihood that any check will be left undone. Cockpit procedures are completely standardized, which allows crew members who have never worked together before to operate as an efficient team.

During a given flight, the roles of the cockpit crew members are well-defined. There is always one pilot who is flying the aircraft, including take-offs and landings, and one who is in a support role (checking weight and balance calculations, communicating with the FCC, coordinating with air traffic control, monitoring weather data, and so on.) because crews typically work together for at least one month, the captain and co-pilot alternate these roles. An exception to this is that the captain always taxis the plane, because the tiller that is used in taxiing is on the left side of the cockpit, where the captain sits.

While the aircraft is on the ground, the crew is in contact with the ground controllers, part of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. Ground Control directs taxiing aircraft, while Tower Control handles takeoffs and landings. Once the flight has taken off, it is handed over to Approach or Terminal Control, which monitors the flight’s first 30 to 50 nautical miles. Beyond that, the flight is the responsibility of an Area or Enroute ATC Centre, which handles a larger region outside the terminal area but within the Flight Information Region (FIR). During long flights, aircraft pass from ATC centre to ATC centre until they approach their destination.

Once a flight departs its origin city, keeping track of it and facilitating its on-time completion is the task of the FCC. The nerve centre of the airline, FCC coordinates and manages the airline’s day-to-day and minute-to-minute operations from its facility near the company’s headquarters. Life at FCC is never routine. Every time something unexpected happens - whether it is a traffic backup, a weather delay, a mechanical problem, a computer outage, an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, a water-main break, a security incident, or any of the unexpected occurrences that can happen at an airline – FCC experts spring into action.

FCC dispatchers provide the cockpit crew with assistance if a problem occurs enroute. For example, if an on-board system fails, a dispatcher arranges for the captain to speak directly with maintenance technicians on the ground to determine if the problem can be rectified in flight. The dispatcher also helps to obtain medical advice in the event that a passenger becomes ill during a flight. The dispatcher provides a communications link between the airline’s medical department and the captain to discuss the situation, and helps decide whether and where to divert the plane to obtain the appropriate medical treatment.

When the plane gets within 30 to 50 nautical miles of its destination, the ATC process just described is repeated in reverse. Approach Control takes the flight until it is ready to land, at which point it is handed to Tower Control. Once the aircraft is on the ground, Ground Control is in charge of getting it to its designated gate.

Because the captain must do the taxiing, the co-pilot maintains contact with Ground Control and checks to make sure the arrival gate is ready for the aircraft. Once they have successfully guided the plane to the gate, the crew completes a checklist of shutdown duties and makes entries in the aircraft’s log. If any maintenance problems arise during the flight, the crew calls them in ahead of time, so that maintenance personnel are ready to address them as soon as the plane arrives &$!@##$!@#$%#^$&%^@%^@#$%@#$%^@^@%$&#^&%^@%$@%^@%@#$%@#$%@%^&*(*&&@#$^@%^$*@%&^#%^&*$%#$!^@$^*$^&*@$%^#%^&*%^&*@$^&@^&$&*#$%^&#$%^&$&*$%^@#%^&$%&*#^&@#%&O^&**#&^%@$^&$%&*&(#%^&@$%^#$%^&$&*(^&(%!@#$@#$!@$%@#$#$^!&@^*%#^*$%&*@%&#$%&!%&(!$^(*!%&!%^&#%^&@%$^&@$%^@$%^@%!(^#%&$%^&%^&(@$%&^@$%^$#%&#%^!#%&#&*%^$#@!!@#$%^$*%^&*@$%!@#$@%^&*%&*)^()^&*$$%^!#