commercial aviation Commercial aviation is the part of civil aviation that involves operating aircraft for remuneration or hire, as opposed to private aviation. Definition Commercial aviation is not a rigorously defined category. All commercial air transport and ae ...

with a two-person

flight crew Aircrew are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions In commercial aviation, ...

, the pilot flying (PF) is the pilot operating the flight controls of the

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

. The other pilot is referred to as the pilot monitoring (PM) or pilot not flying (PNF). Before a flight departs, the

pilot in command The pilot in command (PIC) of an aircraft is the person aboard an aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the captain in a typical two- or three- pilot aircrew, or "pilot" if there is only ...

must decide who the pilot flying and pilot monitoring will be for the remainder of the flight, or for any specific phase of flight (e.g., takeoff, approach, or landing). Typically, the flight crew swap roles on the return leg.

References

{{aviation-stub Aircraft operations