ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the cockpit tasks as they are presented in flight operations manual (FOM), and explores that FOMs implicitly portray cockpit work as having three central characteristics. However, before the auxiliary power unit (APU) can be started, the fire detection system, located on the console between the pilots, must be checked. Normal flight procedures are grouped and described in the FOM in the sequence in which they are used in the conduct of a flight: Pretakeoff, Takeoff, Climb and Cruise, Descent, Approach, and Landing. The Pretakeoff procedure typically requires each pilot to separately perform a long sequence of actions, configuring and testing items silently from memory as a 'flow'. Also, in visual meteorological conditions (VMC), both pilots are expected to monitor outside the cockpit until reaching 18,000 feet for airplanes on potentially conflicting courses, and to monitor system and navigation displays.
