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Being a commercial airline pilot requires continuous training to deliver safe service on every flight, and behind one aspect of that training at Atlantic Southeast Airlines is a group of specially trained pilots called Line Check Pilots. Captain Chris Ludwick, a 10-year Atlantic Southeast pilot, is one of those pilots.

In 2000, he found himself at Atlantic Southeast, where, like all of our pilots, he started as a first officer and then upgraded to captain. Later on in his Atlantic Southeast career, he took his experience as a commercial pilot to our Flight Standards department, where he works closely with our front-line pilots to uphold the highest standards of safety.

According to Chris, line check pilots have a unique role that requires what he calls “two modes of existence.”

“We split our time between flying scheduled flights, just like any other pilot, and performing training and observational activities with our pilots,” he said. “All line check pilots are dual-seat qualified, which means we can provide training for both our captains (left seat) and first officers (right seat) on any of our three aircraft types.”

Ultimately, the job of a line check pilot is to make sure all of our pilots operate safely and within standard procedures, and that’s a job that Chris takes a lot of pride in doing.