State of the art professionals
The term “flight deck crew” applies to pilots, at the very centre of air transport operations.
Cockpit crews piloting the 256 aircraft in the Air France fleet are composed of between two and four pilots, depending on the flying time and aircraft type.
The Flight Captain, assisted by the First Officer, is truly the “master” on board.
With the support of leading-edge technologies, it is the captain who, throughout the flight, makes the necessary decisions so as to reconcile safety imperatives, passenger comfort and costs. The captain will thus determine, for example, the amount of fuel to be taken on board and will calculate, for each separate flight phase, the optimum flight path.
The captain is also ultimately responsible for passenger satisfaction and works with the flight attendants to ensure quality service in the cabin.
Selection and ongoing professional training
Air France has put in place an unusually demanding selection process for these key professionals, as well as a system for maintaining and enhancing their skills so as to ensure that the airline benefits from the best expertise available.
At each step in the selection process, in addition to technical skill, the human dimension is evaluated, most particularly when testing capacity to withstand the constraints specific to the profession (stress, rhythm, fatigue).
To complement the continuing training and ongoing testing of knowledge on simulators that help pilots maintain their qualification to fly different aircraft types, Air France has developed a specific “young pilots” training course.
The breadth of the Air France network and the diversity of the fleet enable flight deck crews to sharpen their expertise and qualifications throughout their career, moving progressively toward new responsibilities in training and management.
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