What makes a good Captain? There's a question. I've flown with great pilots who were bad Captains, and vice versa. One cynic suggested it was the ability to sign bits of paper without compromising yourself. I think it's all about personality, being able to get the crew to work together even if you think they are assholes. Inevitably in freight and other fringe areas of aviation it is about getting the job done as well - without whinging about it!

Yeah, crewing messed up the schedule, the hotel was a bit noisy, the crew are hungry, but they certainly aren't going to feel better when the Captain is sitting there on his wallet and moaning all the time, or criticising people. I see crews flying with certain Captains arriving in the crew room looking much more tired than they should, having been bombarded for the last few hours with an endless stream of negative vibes.

Of course, it is not only Captains who moan; but it is the Captain who has the ultimate responsibility and the authority to stop it in its tracks when it is affecting morale. All it takes is a good joke, a change of subject, a cup of coffee. I remember when I was in the right-hand seat, I'd call up crewing and ask them who I was flying with. Some names would send me to work in a negative frame of mind because I anticipated a negative atmosphere in the cockpit. It's amazing how often expectation leads on to reality. It took years for me to stop asking who I was flying with and just get on with it, and when I did work got better.

Obviously, there will always be personality clashes in the cockpit; the trick is not to let it get too personal. So what if the flight engineer is a raving fascist, or the co-pilot believes in UFO's, we're all paid to get a large piece of metal from A to B, not to debate the world's and the company's problems among ourselves. For me, a good Captain is the one who gets it there safely with a happy crew. If you want to talk about anything negative, do it on your own time.

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