Definition
Cockpit resource management is the deliberate use of all available resources — people, equipment, information, and time — to operate a flight safely and efficiently. It includes how a pilot gathers information, makes decisions, communicates, manages workload, and uses automation, charts, checklists, ATC, and other crewmembers or passengers when appropriate.
Plain English
Using everything you have available — your tools, your information, the people around you, and the time you've got — to fly the airplane safely and make good decisions.
Context Anchor
You will see CRM discussed in flight training, flight reviews, crew operations, single-pilot decision-making, and accident-prevention topics.
Derivation
The term came out of airline industry research in the late 1970s after several accidents were traced not to mechanical failure or lack of skill, but to breakdowns in how crews used the resources around them. It was originally called 'cockpit resource management' and later broadened to 'crew resource management' as the same principles were applied to the whole flight team.
Why Pilots Care
Strong CRM reduces errors, improves teamwork, and directly supports safe outcomes when unexpected situations arise.
Intuition Check
Do not assume cockpit resource management only applies to airline crews. In training and general aviation, CRM also applies to a single pilot using passengers, checklists, radios, onboard equipment, and outside information wisely.
Example Sentence 1
Good CRM in a single-pilot cockpit means using ATC, the autopilot, and the checklist to reduce workload during a busy approach.
Example Sentence 2
Effective CRM allowed the crew to divide tasks quickly during an engine failure on takeoff.