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PILOT IN COMMAND

The Pilot in Command (PIC) of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the 'captain' in a typical two or three pilot flight crew, or 'the pilot' in case there is only one certified and qualified pilot at the controls of an aircraft. The Pilot in Command must be legally certified to operate the aircraft for the specific flight and flight conditions, but need not be actually manipulating the controls at any given moment. The PIC is the person legally in charge of the aircraft and its flight safety and operation, and would normally be the primary person liable for an infraction of any flight rule.

The strict legal definition of PIC may vary slightly from country to country. The current ICAO and FAA definition is: "The pilot responsible for the operation and safety of the aircraft during flight time." Note that flight time is defined as "The total time from the moment an aircraft first moves under its own power for the purpose of taking off until the moment it comes to rest at the end of the flight."[1] This would normally include taxiing, which involves the ground operation to and from the runway.

[edit] History

The equivalent concept of Pilot in Command came into being thousands of years before the Wright Brothers took to the air, in the equivalent rank or position of a ship's captain. In many ways aviation drew from the nautical background (calling an aircraft 'ship', measuring its speed in knots, distance in nautical miles, for example), and not the least of which was the obvious need for a clear military-like chain of command, even for civilian operations, both when on the high seas as well as in a flying machine.

[edit] U.S. "Pilot in Command" FAA regulations

Under U.S. FAA FAR 91.3, "Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command", the FAA declares:[2]

  • (a) The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.
  • (b) In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot in command may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent required to meet that emergency.
  • (c) Each pilot in command who deviates from a rule under paragraph (b) of this section shall, upon the request of the Administrator, send a written report of that deviation to the Administrator.

ICAO and other countries equivalent rules are similar.
Especially interesting is FAR 91.3(b) which empowers the PIC to override any other regulation in an emergency, to take the safest course of action at his/her sole discretion.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "CIVIL AVIATION REGULATIONS - PART 1 - GENERAL POLICIES, PROCEDURES, AND DEFINITIONS" (October, 2002).
  2. ^ U.S. FAA FAR 91.3: Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command. Retrieved on 2006-10-20.