SkyWest Pre-Entrance Practice Exam

The essential idea is that the First Officer is the pilot second-in-command who shares cockpit duties and can operate the aircraft under the Captain’s supervision, including taking the controls during takeoff and landing. This role exists to manage workload and provide cross-checks to keep flight operations safe, with the Captain acting as the Pilot in Command. The other roles described—the cabin crew member who handles service, the ground-based route planner, and the aircraft mechanic who inspects engines—do not involve piloting duties, so they don’t define what a First Officer is.