The captain (left hand seat) does the taxi, rotate and climb to cruise. The FO (right hand seat) will take over from there.
The autopilot keeps the plane stable and steady. It doesn’t automatically change the direction of the flight or change altitude/speed.
To make those changes, the FO will dial them in to the autopilot, then execute them when they reach the waypoint.
The captain will then perform the landing.
When all is going well and the aircraft is cruising, then it is “relatively” simple, the main jobs are monitoring the radio, the radar, the weather and all the instruments. When any one of those changes, then the FO/captain have to make decisions that can affect the lives of a lot of people.
The autopilot keeps the plane stable and steady. It doesn’t automatically change the direction of the flight or change altitude/speed.
To make those changes, the FO will dial them in to the autopilot, then execute them when they reach the waypoint.
The captain will then perform the landing.
When all is going well and the aircraft is cruising, then it is “relatively” simple, the main jobs are monitoring the radio, the radar, the weather and all the instruments. When any one of those changes, then the FO/captain have to make decisions that can affect the lives of a lot of people.
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