Most airliners are certified as multi-pilot aircraft. Generally, two pilots are required: a Captain and a First Officer. When in the plane, the Captain sits on the left-hand side and the First Officer sits on the right-hand side.

Before each flight the crew agrees on which pilot will act as the Pilot Flying (PF) and which will act as the Pilot Monitoring (PM) for that particular flight. Each of them has a different area of responsibility in the cockpit.

• The Pilot Flying (PF) must concentrate on "flying the aircraft" to monitor and control the pitch attitude, bank angle, airspeed, thrust, sideslip, heading, etc., in order to achieve and maintain the desired targets, vertical flight path, and lateral flight path.
• The Pilot Monitoring (PM) must assist the PF and must actively monitor flight parameters, call out any excessive deviation and is responsible for radio communication with ATC, flight attendants, and passengers. Furthermore, he/she maintains the flight plan, monitors fuel, reads checklists, and operates the landing gear and flaps.

Therefore, both flight crewmembers must:
• Focus and concentrate on their tasks to ensure appropriate task sharing
• Maintain situational awareness and immediately resolve any uncertainty as a crew.