Second officer (aviation)

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Second officer is a civil aviation rank, also known as junior first officer. It is used for pilots at an early stage of their career. [1]

Contents

Role

Modern airliners only require two pilots, the captain and the first officer. [2] Before a pilot is fully qualified to operate as first officer, they will typically act as a second officer, sitting in the right hand seat, while undergoing training and supervision from a training captain. A safety pilot will sit in the jump seat to monitor the junior first officer and the captain. [3] [4]

In some airlines, a second officer is not permitted to take off or land the aircraft, and will only fly the aircraft during the cruise. [5] [6]

At Singapore Airlines and Scoot, second officers are usually promoted to first officer after 5-8 months. [1] In Ryanair UK, pilots are promoted from second officer to junior first officer when they achieve 500 hours of flight time. [7]

Usage

Airlines which use the title "second officer" include:

Historically, the second officer was the flight engineer. This is a trained pilot who does not fly the aircraft, but instead monitors aircraft systems. [16] Modern airliners only require two pilots, and do not have a flight engineer or a navigator. [2]

See also

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References

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