As a Captain, what is it that you look for in a first officer and what can they do to achieve that

Hi -

What an interesting question!

All the best relationships are built on trust and whether I am flying as a Captain, possibly even more so as a First Officer, I want to know that the person I am sat beside will be honest. Honesty is a two way thing though, it is my responsibility to create a work space whereby my flying partner will feel comfortable sharing things with me, especially if I was to do something out of the ordinary or against normal procedures, intentionally or mistakenly. We call this a level flight deck gradient, the ability to challenge your partner in a constructive and non-negative way, is one of the most important skills to have.

We can spend days at a time with the same person so it is quite nice to find some common ground. Open communication and a general interest in the other person's pursuits and passions goes a long way and helps build the above mentioned qualities.

Hopefully you have found this helpful and maybe one day we can practice this together!