Safety Culture & CRM
Crew Resource Management and Threat & Error Management model
Safety Culture, CRM & TEM
A strong safety culture and effective Crew Resource Management (CRM) are foundational to all Air Canada Virtual Airline operations. This section outlines our approach to maintaining safety through teamwork and proactive hazard identification.
Crew Resource Management (CRM)
Our CRM philosophy adheres to ICAO Doc 9863 principles and focuses on:
- Utilizing a shared mental model following the priority sequence: aviate, navigate, communicate, manage
- Promoting open communication across all levels of experience and rank
- Enabling junior First Officers to respectfully challenge decisions using the standard phrase “Captain, I have a concern…”
- Encouraging all crew members to speak up when they notice potential threats or errors
CRM Best Practices
- Briefings: Conduct thorough briefings before all critical phases of flight
- Workload Management: Delegate tasks appropriately based on workload and expertise
- Communication: Use standard phraseology and confirm understanding through readbacks
- Decision Making: Involve all crew members in the decision-making process when time permits
- Situational Awareness: Maintain awareness of aircraft status, position, and environmental conditions
Threat & Error Management (TEM) Model
The TEM model is a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating potential threats before they lead to errors or undesired aircraft states.
TEM by Flight Phase
| Phase | Typical Threats | Mitigations (Traps) |
|---|---|---|
| Pre‑flight | WX below minima, MEL items, slot restrictions | Accurate OFP, ATIS review, delay buffer fuel |
| Taxi | Hot‑spots, ground traffic, low‑vis signage | Airport diagram on ND, “both pilots heads‑out” scanning |
| Take‑off | Birds, wind shear, SID changes | FLEX calc, wind‑shear escape briefing |
| En‑route | Turbulence, icing, ATC reroutes | Ride‑report monitoring, continuous fuel check |
| Approach | High energy, unstable VNAV, runway change | Stable approach gate (1 000 ft IMC / 500 ft VMC), go‑around brief |
TEM Strategy Implementation
- Threat Identification: Actively look for potential threats during all phases of flight
- Error Prevention: Use checklists, standard callouts, and cross-verification techniques
- Error Management: When errors occur, detect and correct them quickly
- Undesired Aircraft State (UAS) Management: Recognize when the aircraft deviates from the intended state and take immediate corrective action
Safety Reporting
Air Canada Virtual Airline maintains a non-punitive safety reporting system to:
- Encourage open reporting of safety concerns, errors, and near-misses
- Identify trends and systemic issues
- Develop improvements to procedures and training
- Share lessons learned across the organization
All pilots are encouraged to submit safety reports after experiencing:
- Procedural difficulties
- Non-standard situations
- Instances where ASOPs were found inadequate
- Near-miss events or errors that were successfully trapped
Just Culture
Air Canada Virtual Airline operates under a Just Culture philosophy where:
- Honest mistakes are treated as learning opportunities
- Deliberate violations of safety procedures are not tolerated
- Focus is placed on system improvement rather than individual blame
- All reports are reviewed for educational value
Next Section: Flight-Deck SOPs
Continue to learn about standard operating procedures for normal flight operations