How to Answer "Tell Me About a Time You Disagreed with Your Captain"

A disagreement answer should show what concerned you, how you raised it and what happened next. “I just went along with it” leaves out your judgement. “I told him he was wrong” leaves out the discussion and the evidence.

Choose an event you can explain in detail, including what you said and how the other pilot responded.

Why They Ask This Question

This question targets several competencies simultaneously:

• Assertiveness — can you speak up when it matters?
• Communication — can you do it professionally, without damaging the relationship?
• Safety focus — do you have the right values hierarchy?
• CRM understanding — do you know how to challenge without threatening?

Airlines have a word for what they're looking for: "professional assertiveness." It's the ability to raise a concern clearly and constructively, while maintaining respect for the command structure.

A concern that stays unspoken gives the other pilot nothing to respond to. An accusation can make it harder to establish the facts. Explain how you made the problem clear and checked whether it was resolved.

The Two Traps to Avoid

Trap 1: "I just deferred to the captain"

If your answer ends with "ultimately it was his decision and I respected that," without any assertive action on your part, you've demonstrated passivity. That's not what they want.

Even if the captain was right and you were wrong, your answer should show you raised the concern in a professional manner before concluding.

Trap 2: "I told him he was making a mistake"

If your answer frames the captain as clearly incompetent or wrong, and you as the hero who fixed it, you've created a different problem. Assessors will question your judgment about authority, hierarchy, and professional relationships.

Keep the answer centred on the operational concern and the action needed to resolve it. Include anything you initially misunderstood.

What a Strong Answer Looks Like

The structure to follow:

1. Set a real, specific situation — not hypothetical
2. Show you had a genuine, legitimate concern — not a preference or ego
3. Describe assertive but professional communication — you raised it, you explained why
4. Show the outcome — ideally collaborative, not "I won"
5. Reflect — what did it confirm or teach you?

A Model Answer

Question: "Tell me about a time you disagreed with your captain. What happened and how did you handle it?"

This is a fictional teaching example. Use it to see the level of detail, then answer with something you actually experienced. The fuel decision in a real event depends on the flight, weather and operator's fuel policy.

“During preflight, we received a longer routing. The captain initially thought the planned fuel would still be enough. I was the first officer checking the revised flight plan, and I was concerned about the forecast deterioration at our alternate around our arrival time.

I pointed to the revised arrival fuel and said, 'The extra distance has reduced the fuel available for further changes. The alternate forecast is also worse at the time we'd get there. Can we check those together before we confirm the fuel?'

We compared the revised plan with the forecast. I checked the forecast period while the captain discussed the revised routing with dispatch. We agreed to take extra fuel after reviewing the figures. That meant a longer turnaround, which we accepted rather than rushing to keep the original departure time.

Afterwards, I realised I had first said only that I was uncomfortable with the fuel. Showing the changed routing and the relevant forecast made the concern much easier to discuss. Since then, I try to name the assumption I want us to check when I raise a concern.”

Why This Answer Works

• A defined role: the first officer is checking the revised flight plan.
• An observable concern: the routing and forecast have changed the planning assumptions.
• Specific words: the request identifies what needs checking before the fuel is confirmed.
• A credible trade-off: the crew accepts a delay after reviewing the figures.
• A useful reflection: the candidate explains how they changed the way they raise a concern.

The example does not assume a fixed extra fuel amount or claim to know what the captain felt. In your own answer, describe the actual calculation, response and outcome you can substantiate.

What If You've Never Had a Real Disagreement?

This comes up especially with lower-hours candidates. A few points:

• A "disagreement" doesn't have to be dramatic. A different view on fuel, routing, handling a passenger situation, or timing a descent all qualify.
• If you genuinely don't have a pure aviation example, you can briefly acknowledge it and use a strong example from another professional context — training, a previous career, military. Assessors accept this, especially at the cadet level.
• Don't invent a situation. Assessors ask follow-up questions, and a fabricated story collapses under scrutiny.

Anticipate the Follow-Up Questions

After your STAR answer, expect:

• "What would you have done if the captain had still disagreed?"
• "Have you ever been in a situation where you felt you had to escalate beyond the cockpit?"
• "What's the difference between assertiveness and insubordination in your view?"

For the first follow-up, explain what you would do if the concern remained unresolved:

“Before departure, I'd show which planning assumption still needs checking and ask us to resolve it before continuing. If the issue came up in flight, my intervention would match the danger and the time available. A required go-around call needs a direct response; I wouldn't keep rephrasing it as a suggestion.”

PACE means Probe, Alert, Challenge, Emergency. It can help you explain escalating assertiveness, but you can skip steps when urgency demands it. Follow your operator's intervention procedures, including any transfer of control. A difference of opinion by itself is not a reason to take over. The TSB's discussion of PACE describes both progressive and immediate escalation.

For reporting or escalation after the event, explain which unresolved issue you would raise, with whom and why. Keep the answer specific to the situation.

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