Narrative:

It was the last flight of a 2 day trip and it was the first officer's leg. We had just swapped this aircraft for our last leg and this one, like most of the fleet, handles somewhat differently. The copilot is an italian guy whose english is weak and in the cockpit he is somewhat inadequate due to the 2 frequencys we were monitoring plus our crew conversation/communication. After takeoff clearance, I aligned the aircraft and held the brakes. I said 'your brakes, your throttles, I've got radios.' he began adding takeoff power somewhat rapidly and the levers were uneven as well as the engine spool up time. He did not hold his brakes until engines spooled up (as is my preference) and he began swerving down the runway and was fixating on torque gauges as opposed to centerline. Although he called 'set takeoff power' his very large hand was covering the throttles to where I could not even set power for him. I kept saying 'I've got power, get the centerline -- get the centerline' finally I firmly said twice to let me have the throttles, 'move your hand.' he finally got the point and got his centerline. I evened out power and we rotated. No incident but I felt it may have startled passenger since the door was open and he was all over the runway, side to side. We proceeded with only further embarrassment when a pilot seated in the back told us (climbing through 10000 ft) that it appeared we still had flaps down. I had done the climb checklist, but was angry about the takeoff roll. I looked at the flap gauge instead of touching the flap lever. The flap gauge read zero degrees but was a MEL item. The flap lever was indeed still in the takeoff position. We had no incident nor had we exceeded any limitations. The greatest damage was to my pride, I was a little ashamed of our lack of professionalism. However, I feel that this copilot and others like him should have a much better understanding and command of our language, that this language barrier inhibits safety. Communication is very difficult and I find myself saying everything 2-3 times. I had briefed him to advance throttles to about 1200 pounds torque and then remove his hand from throttles and call for me to set them. The throttles were mine for takeoff as was the decision to abort. In this situation if an abort would have been necessary, it would have been impossible as I could not get to the throttles until after V1, when he finally moved his hands. Also, proper training and lack of flying experience on his part, were part of the problem. I felt that talking him through it was the safest option (as opposed to trying to take it from him). Later we discussed the situation. However, I'm still not sure he understood all of the specifics -- how to improve his methods, or the severity of the problems that could have arisen from this type of situation. If someone is not quite fluent in the language of the crew, they should not be in the cockpit. There must be a standard. The only standard in this 'buy your job program' is a commercial license and $18000. It's not fair to us to have students instead of coplts nor is it fair to our paying passenger.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN INEXPERIENCED CREWMEMBER HAD DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING DIRECTIONAL CTL DURING TKOF ROLL. THIS DISTR LED TO FLC'S FAILURE TO RETRACT FLAPS DURING APPROPRIATE PHASE.

Narrative: IT WAS THE LAST FLT OF A 2 DAY TRIP AND IT WAS THE FO'S LEG. WE HAD JUST SWAPPED THIS ACFT FOR OUR LAST LEG AND THIS ONE, LIKE MOST OF THE FLEET, HANDLES SOMEWHAT DIFFERENTLY. THE COPLT IS AN ITALIAN GUY WHOSE ENGLISH IS WEAK AND IN THE COCKPIT HE IS SOMEWHAT INADEQUATE DUE TO THE 2 FREQS WE WERE MONITORING PLUS OUR CREW CONVERSATION/COM. AFTER TKOF CLRNC, I ALIGNED THE ACFT AND HELD THE BRAKES. I SAID 'YOUR BRAKES, YOUR THROTTLES, I'VE GOT RADIOS.' HE BEGAN ADDING TKOF PWR SOMEWHAT RAPIDLY AND THE LEVERS WERE UNEVEN AS WELL AS THE ENG SPOOL UP TIME. HE DID NOT HOLD HIS BRAKES UNTIL ENGS SPOOLED UP (AS IS MY PREFERENCE) AND HE BEGAN SWERVING DOWN THE RWY AND WAS FIXATING ON TORQUE GAUGES AS OPPOSED TO CTRLINE. ALTHOUGH HE CALLED 'SET TKOF PWR' HIS VERY LARGE HAND WAS COVERING THE THROTTLES TO WHERE I COULD NOT EVEN SET PWR FOR HIM. I KEPT SAYING 'I'VE GOT PWR, GET THE CTRLINE -- GET THE CTRLINE' FINALLY I FIRMLY SAID TWICE TO LET ME HAVE THE THROTTLES, 'MOVE YOUR HAND.' HE FINALLY GOT THE POINT AND GOT HIS CTRLINE. I EVENED OUT PWR AND WE ROTATED. NO INCIDENT BUT I FELT IT MAY HAVE STARTLED PAX SINCE THE DOOR WAS OPEN AND HE WAS ALL OVER THE RWY, SIDE TO SIDE. WE PROCEEDED WITH ONLY FURTHER EMBARRASSMENT WHEN A PLT SEATED IN THE BACK TOLD US (CLBING THROUGH 10000 FT) THAT IT APPEARED WE STILL HAD FLAPS DOWN. I HAD DONE THE CLB CHKLIST, BUT WAS ANGRY ABOUT THE TKOF ROLL. I LOOKED AT THE FLAP GAUGE INSTEAD OF TOUCHING THE FLAP LEVER. THE FLAP GAUGE READ ZERO DEGS BUT WAS A MEL ITEM. THE FLAP LEVER WAS INDEED STILL IN THE TKOF POS. WE HAD NO INCIDENT NOR HAD WE EXCEEDED ANY LIMITATIONS. THE GREATEST DAMAGE WAS TO MY PRIDE, I WAS A LITTLE ASHAMED OF OUR LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT THIS COPLT AND OTHERS LIKE HIM SHOULD HAVE A MUCH BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND COMMAND OF OUR LANGUAGE, THAT THIS LANGUAGE BARRIER INHIBITS SAFETY. COM IS VERY DIFFICULT AND I FIND MYSELF SAYING EVERYTHING 2-3 TIMES. I HAD BRIEFED HIM TO ADVANCE THROTTLES TO ABOUT 1200 LBS TORQUE AND THEN REMOVE HIS HAND FROM THROTTLES AND CALL FOR ME TO SET THEM. THE THROTTLES WERE MINE FOR TKOF AS WAS THE DECISION TO ABORT. IN THIS SIT IF AN ABORT WOULD HAVE BEEN NECESSARY, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE AS I COULD NOT GET TO THE THROTTLES UNTIL AFTER V1, WHEN HE FINALLY MOVED HIS HANDS. ALSO, PROPER TRAINING AND LACK OF FLYING EXPERIENCE ON HIS PART, WERE PART OF THE PROB. I FELT THAT TALKING HIM THROUGH IT WAS THE SAFEST OPTION (AS OPPOSED TO TRYING TO TAKE IT FROM HIM). LATER WE DISCUSSED THE SIT. HOWEVER, I'M STILL NOT SURE HE UNDERSTOOD ALL OF THE SPECIFICS -- HOW TO IMPROVE HIS METHODS, OR THE SEVERITY OF THE PROBS THAT COULD HAVE ARISEN FROM THIS TYPE OF SIT. IF SOMEONE IS NOT QUITE FLUENT IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE CREW, THEY SHOULD NOT BE IN THE COCKPIT. THERE MUST BE A STANDARD. THE ONLY STANDARD IN THIS 'BUY YOUR JOB PROGRAM' IS A COMMERCIAL LICENSE AND $18000. IT'S NOT FAIR TO US TO HAVE STUDENTS INSTEAD OF COPLTS NOR IS IT FAIR TO OUR PAYING PAX.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.