Jumpseat: The Line Check

Les Abend

Saturday, June 27, 2015 at 12:19 AM ET

Verified

Photo by Ingo Lang

Key Takeaways:

Airline pilots, particularly captains, are subject to mandatory "line checks" every 24 months to ensure their continuing proficiency and adherence to Part 121 operational standards.
These evaluations focus on practical demonstrations of crew resource management and operational skills during routine flights, rather than testing rote knowledge.
Both pilots and check airmen view these checks as a standard procedure to ensure safety and quality, with check airmen generally aiming for pilots to succeed.

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I scratched my chin as I tried to discern the unfamiliar code that our airline computer system had attached to three days of my reserve schedule. A call to crew schedule offered only a verbal shoulder shrug. It was suggested that I call our flight standards department. Hmm …

Flight standards is responsible for maintaining and tracking each pilot’s qualifications. When I was a check airman, I worked closely with this department. Flight standards assigned us the pilots who required IOEs (initial operating experiences) or regular line checks. I treated them like gold; my monthly schedule was under their control. Regardless, it was a great give-and-take relationship, an aspect of the check airman job that I miss.