The race to 1,500 hours often feels like a numbers game, leading many pilots to view shared time building solely as a financial strategy. While splitting costs is smart, viewing a shared cockpit merely as a budget option is a missed opportunity. We believe that flying with a partner is your first real exposure to a multi-crew environment. By shifting your perspective, you can turn every shared flight hour into a vital lesson in Crew Resource Management (CRM), developing the soft skills that define professional aviators.
More Than Just Hours: The CRM Advantage of Shared Time Building
Defining the Shared Cockpit Dynamic
When two certificated pilots share a flight, the single-pilot mindset must be left on the ramp. Even in a Cessna 172, you are essentially operating as a crew, with one pilot flying (PF) and one pilot monitoring (PM). We encourage pilots utilizing our shared time options to formally establish these roles before engine start. This discipline transforms a casual flight into a structured exercise in cockpit coordination, mirroring the professional environment you are working towards.
The Art of Being a Safety Pilot
Acting as a safety pilot while your partner flies "under the hood" is not passive; it is an active, critical role. It requires heightened situational awareness, vigilant traffic scanning, and monitoring engine parameters without interfering with the flying pilot’s duties. We find that mastering the role of a supportive, non-interfering safety pilot is excellent preparation for the duties of a First Officer or Pilot Monitoring in complex airline operations.
Standardizing Communication and Call-Outs
In a single-pilot environment, your thought process is internal. In a shared cockpit, effective communication is paramount. We stress the importance of verbalizing intentions, acknowledging clearances, and utilizing standard call-outs during shared flights. Practicing clear, concise "challenge and response" procedures now—even for simple checklists—builds the muscle memory required for clear communication on a busy commercial flight deck later in your career.
Preparing for the Airline Interview
Airline recruiters are looking for more than just logbook totals; they are assessing your ability to function as part of a team. Shared time building provides genuine experiences of managing workload, resolving disagreements constructively, and adapting to different personality types in the cockpit. We know that pilots who can articulate these real-world CRM experiences have a distinct advantage during behavioral interview questions.
Building time efficiently is important, but building quality time is essential for your career longevity. At HighSky Aero, our Shared Single-Engine Time Building program offers an affordable path to your hours, but more importantly, it offers a training ground for professional development. By treating every shared flight as a CRM exercise, you gain skills that money cannot buy. Contact us today to find a partner and start building airline-ready habits at $75/hr.