SAFO Addresses Pilot Flying and Pilot Monitoring Roles

A new FAA Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO 15011) encourages operators using two-pilot crews to ensure that one crewmember is designated as the pilot flying (PF) and one crewmember is designated the pilot monitor (PM). The SAFO was issued after the FAA determined that operators’ manuals “do not always clearly define the roles and associated tasks of the PF and the PM.”

Operators should “explicitly define” the roles of the PF and PM to include: The PF is responsible for flying and managing the flight path and the PM is responsible for monitoring the current and projected flight path; if the PF needs to engage in tasks that distract from aircraft control, the PF should exchange duties with the PM using positive verbal assignment and acceptance responses;in addition to monitoring flight path, aircraft systems and ATC instructions, the PM calls out deviations from the assigned flight path and system anomalies and “intervenes if necessary.”

 The FAA recommends that the content of this SAFO be incorporated into SOPs, training and flight checks for all operators of aircraft crewed by more than one pilot.