Definition
A flight conducted with two qualified pilots at the controls, where duties such as flying, navigating, communicating, and monitoring systems are divided between a pilot flying and a pilot monitoring. In some helicopters, certain instrument flight rules (IFR) operations are only authorized when two pilots are aboard, as specified in the rotorcraft flight manual limitations.
Plain English
A flight flown by two pilots working together, with the workload split between them. For some helicopters, the manual requires two pilots before the aircraft can legally be flown on instruments.
Context Anchor
Seen in helicopter flight manual limitations when deciding whether a helicopter may be used for a particular instrument flight, procedure, or operating condition.
Why Pilots Care
Tells the pilot whether a second crewmember is legally required for that flight, affecting scheduling, training, and whether the trip can be conducted at all.
Intuition Check
Do not assume this means any flight with two pilots on board. It means two qualified pilots are actively serving as the flight crew with assigned duties.
Example Sentence 1
The flight manual restricts IFR flight in this helicopter to two-pilot operations, so we cannot file an instrument flight plan with only one pilot on board.
Example Sentence 2
During two-pilot operations the non-flying pilot handled radio calls while the flying pilot focused on the approach.