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Content: The person in command of the airplane is the captainand usually sits in the left seat of the flight deck. The other pilot is the first officer(or F/O) and usually sits in the right seat. On most air carriers world-wide, the two pilots take turns flying the aircraft. The captain, however, always has the final authority. Very long flights sometimes carry extra captains or first officers to satisfy legal rest requirements. The extra crews are sometimes referred to as International Relief Officers (IRO) or cruise pilots. It’s confusing when the news media makes statements like: “ The pilot made an emergency landing.” Which pilot? Was it the captain or first officer?