The role of chief pilots

Setter of standards, safety guardian, mentor, enforcer, even father and/or mother figure – the chief pilot has to be many things to many people – but where do they get the skills to support their responsibilities? CASA regulations describe the role of chief pilot – or head of flight operations (HOFO) – in Part 137 by providing a list of responsibilities – a list of where the buck stops.

These cover monitoring compliance with the Civil Aviation Act and regulations, monitoring systems and procedures to ensure safe operations, setting and monitoring the standard of application operations – all big jobs that carry serious consequences.