This glossary is written for virtual airline and flight simulation use within Virtual Air Canada Airline. It is not intended as a real-world aviation reference.
CRM
Crew Resource Management
Crew Resource Management (CRM) is the training philosophy and set of behavioral skills designed to improve safety in aviation by optimizing the use of all available resources - including people, information, and equipment - in the cockpit and across the broader flight operation. CRM emerged in the late 1970s following accident investigations that revealed many fatal crashes were not caused by technical failures or pilot ignorance, but by breakdowns in communication, leadership, situational awareness, and decision-making within the crew. The foundational United Airlines Flight 173 crash in 1978 and the KLM/Pan Am collision at Tenerife in 1977 were key catalysts for CRM’s development.
Modern CRM training covers a broad curriculum including threat and error management (TEM), assertiveness and advocacy (the ability for any crew member to challenge a captain’s decision when safety is at risk), situational awareness, briefing and debriefing techniques, workload management, crew coordination, and decision-making under stress. CRM is not a one-time course but a recurring, integrated part of airline training programs. It applies not just to flight crews but to interactions between pilots, cabin crew, dispatchers, maintenance personnel, and ATC. The concept of a “just culture” - where people are encouraged to report errors without fear of punishment, unless gross negligence or deliberate violations are involved - is closely tied to CRM and SMS principles.