At a fundamental level Airmanship is related to and underpins aircrew performance. High levels of Airmanship are required for high levels of performance. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of Airmanship is required if aircrew performance is to be improved. Airmanship is that element of flying, from the planning stage to debrief, that deals with effective application of knowledge and skill, both mental and physical, in the operation of the aircraft. Although some elements of Airmanship are assimilated through experience most can be taught and assessed. Those that are gained through experience require structured ‘post flight’ analysis through debriefing to be effective. Fundamental to good Airmanship is the ability to think clearly, which requires mental capacity. An adult’s mental capacity cannot be increased therefore it is vital to ensure that an individual maximises this capacity through effective utilisation of each separate skill within airmanship. Failure to do so may lead to inadequate spare capacity remaining to learn new skills or perform additional tasks. Due to its multi-faceted characteristics Airmanship can best be defined as ‘The Art of Operating the Aircraft’ which means that some areas of Airmanship are more relevant to some aircraft and/or roles than to others.