FIRST OFFICER TO CAPTAIN Command Transition Course
Enhance your decision-making, situational awareness, and CRM effectiveness.
100+ Satisfaction Students Worldwide
Course Overview
The Command Transition Course: First Officer to Captain is a structured professional development program designed to deepen mastery of the nine core pilot competencies underpinning modern Evidence-Based Training (EBT) frameworks.
While structured around the same competency framework as the Advanced AirCrew Competency Course, this program places specific emphasis on developing the behavioural, psychological, and accountability dimensions of command.
The program is designed for First Officers preparing to assume command and Captain-level responsibility:
This program focuses on the behavioural, cognitive, and leadership foundations required for safe and effective aircraft command.
Command Transition Course: First Officer to Captain
Lesson 1: Defining the Command Mindset
Transitioning to command is not a promotion — it is a behavioural shift. This lesson reframes competency through the lens of ultimate responsibility, authority, and accountability. Participants examine the psychological transition from contributor to decision owner.
Lesson 2: Command Within CBTA & the Nine Core Competencies
Explores how the nine core competencies manifest differently at command level. Focus is placed on observable captain behaviours, behavioural markers in upgrade assessments, and the increased expectations placed on leaders in modern EBT environments.
Lesson 3: Command Application of Knowledge
At command level, knowledge must be integrated, prioritised, and defended. This lesson strengthens applied system understanding and regulatory awareness under pressure — ensuring decisions are both operationally sound and justifiable.
Lesson 4: Manual Flight - Authority Through Precision
Manual flight at command level reflects discipline and leadership presence. This module reinforces energy management, intervention judgement, and confidence when automation is degraded — demonstrating stability to the crew.
Lesson 5: Automation - Command Oversight and Intervention
Captains must manage automation proactively. This lesson develops anticipatory mode awareness, timely intervention discipline, and strategic decision-making when automation performance and operational safety diverge.
Lesson 6: Procedures - Discipline with Command Judgement
Command requires balancing procedural compliance with situational judgement. This module explores when to strictly adhere, when to adapt, and how to justify decisions professionally and legally.
Lesson 7: Workload Management - Protecting the Flight Deck
A captain manages not only their own capacity, but the crew’s. This lesson develops forward planning, delegation discipline, cognitive load distribution, and early intervention before saturation occurs.
Lesson 8: Situational Awareness - Big Picture Thinking
Command-level awareness extends beyond immediate tasks. This module strengthens strategic projection, threat anticipation, and environmental scanning — ensuring the captain remains ahead of the operation.
Lesson 9: Leadership and Teamwork - Establishing Authority Without Intimidation
Effective captains create clarity, stability, and psychological safety. This lesson develops calm authority, briefing discipline, cross-check culture, and the ability to manage assertive First Officers constructively.
Lesson 10: Communication - Setting the Tone
Captain communication sets the behavioural standard for the flight deck. This lesson refines structured briefings, decision articulation, expectation management, and clarity under pressure.
Lesson 11: Decision Making - Own the Outcome
Command means accepting responsibility for imperfect information. This integrative module develops structured decision frameworks, risk tolerance calibration, and the confidence to make timely decisions when certainty is unavailable.
Lesson 12: Command-Level Threat & Error Management
Learn how effective Captains anticipate threat stacking, interrupt escalation early, and protect safety margin when complexity increases
Lesson 13: Documentation, Accountability & Legal Exposure
At command level, documentation carries weight. This lesson explores technical log decisions, irregularity reporting, post-event scrutiny, and how written records reflect professional judgement.
Lesson 14: Command Upgrade Assessment & Line Integration
The final module prepares candidates for upgrade simulator checks and early command sectors. It provides structured strategies for demonstrating leadership behaviours under assessment while maintaining composure and authority on the line.
Lesson 15: Final Exam. 60 question multi-choice exam.
Final Exam. 60 question multi-choice exam.
Lesson 16. Course Summary. A wrap up of the full course, process for certification, and feedback
Course Summary. A wrap up of the full course, process for certification, and feedback
Delivery Modes
Self-Paced Learning
Global access
Individual or Airline Enrollment
Classroom Delivery Option
Command Upgrade Learning Outcomes
The Command Upgrade Course prepares experienced First Officers to transition effectively into aircraft command by strengthening the leadership, decision-making, and operational judgement required of airline Captains.
Aligned with modern competency-based training and assessment (CBTA / EBT) principles, the course develops the behavioural and cognitive capabilities necessary to manage complex operational situations while maintaining safe and effective flight deck leadership.
- A structured command decision-making framework for managing operational uncertainty
- Techniques for maintaining situational awareness & cognitive control during high workload events
- Command-level communication strategies that support effective crew coordination
- Leadership behaviours to manage authority gradient & direct experienced crew members
- Practical application of threat and error management within a command context
Flexible Pricing for Pilots and Training Departments
Individual pilots can enrol in self-paced courses with three months of access.
Airlines can enrol pilot cohorts through multi-user subscriptions, enabling scalable leadership training across their organisation.
Command trainsition Course: First Officer to Captain
Individual Pilot Access - Designed for professional pilots preparing for command or seeking to strengthen their leadership and decision-making skills.
Includes:
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Command readiness fundamentals
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Captain’s leadership responsibilities
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Crew communication and assertiveness
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Practical CRM decision-making frameworks
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Operational case studies
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Self-paced learning with 3 months course access
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Certificate of completion
Airline / Cohort Plan
Airline Training Access Elevate Flight Leadership programs can be delivered to pilot cohorts within airline training departments, supporting leadership development, command upgrade preparation, and competency-based training initiatives. Training managers can enrol groups of pilots under cohort-based access plans, enabling consistent leadership training across fleets or upgrade programs. For airline and organisational pricing, please contact: [email protected]
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Who This Command Upgrade Course Is Designed For
- Airline First Officers preparing for command upgrade
- First Officers seeking to strengthen decision-making and leadership before assuming Captain responsibilities
- Airline training departments preparing pilot cohorts for command transition programs
- Recently promoted Captains seeking to consolidate command authority and leadership behaviours
- Pilots preparing for command-focused simulator evaluations or upgrade assessments
Graeme Edward Perry
Graeme Edward Perry
Captain Graeme Perry brings over 17,000 hours of flight experience — including more than 10,000 hours in command on the Boeing 777. A former Royal New Zealand Air Force fast-jet pilot and operational instructor, he later served as a senior airline type rating instructor and check captain. Today, he continues to conduct B777 simulator training and evaluation for a major Asian carrier.  Read More.
Certified Aviation Instructor
Airline Command Experience
Professional Aviation Career
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