Effective communication and coordination among crewmembers is essential for safe and efficient flight operations. Yet crewmembers often have different attitudes, experiences and responsibilities that can impact teamwork.
By candidly sharing stories of poor and effective crew coordination, this section ultimately aims to cultivate CRM skills that improve teamwork and resilience at high altitudes. While aircraft continue to become more reliable and automated, the human interactions within the cockpit will always be complex and imperfect. Only with an awareness of our social tendencies – and strategies to overcome them – can we establish crew norms that prioritize safety and efficiency above ego or tradition. Through open discussions of communication breakdowns, lax assertiveness and cooperation issues, this section hopes to inspire future flight crews to approach teamwork not as a given but as a deliberate skill – one that when mastered can transform even the most disparate individuals into a cohesive unit capable of navigating any turbulence together.