Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

<ul><li>Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor.</li><li>Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings.</li><li>Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, and procedures.</li><li>Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.</li><li>Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions.</li><li>Monitor gauges, warning devices, and control panels to verify aircraft performance and to regulate engine speed.</li><li>Steer aircraft along planned routes, using autopilot and flight management computers.</li><li>Check passenger and cargo distributions and fuel amounts to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met.</li><li>Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.</li><li>Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.</li><li>Choose routes, altitudes, and speeds that will provide the fastest, safest, and smoothest flights.</li><li>Confer with flight dispatchers and weather forecasters to keep abreast of flight conditions.</li><li>Direct activities of aircraft crews during flights.</li><li>Brief crews about flight details, such as destinations, duties, and responsibilities.</li><li>Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.</li><li>Record in log books information, such as flight times, distances flown, and fuel consumption.</li><li>Make announcements regarding flights, using public address systems.</li></ul>