Briefing approaches?

rframe

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Can you guys/gals share some of your best practices and preferences when briefing approaches, either single-pilot (what you tell yourself) or in a crew environment?
 
I don't make it anything complex. Quick review top to bottom of freq section, plan view for headings/alts/nav freqs, profile view for alts and stepdowns, mins for category I'll be doing, ensure I have the WX for it, MSA/ESA check, look at airport diagram of where/how I'll be approaching the field and how I'll circle if I'll be doing so. And initial part of missed or climbout. Top to bottom on the plate.
 
Left to right, top to bottom. Works pretty well on Jepp layouts. Always single pilot

I found that is the best method so far, and I still feel like I have not mastered it. Any T/A for destination and alternates are reviewed before hand however.
 
The Company tells us to use "WANT".

W - Weather
A - Airport/area arrival (the approach itself gets briefed here; just read the items on the Briefing Strip and make sure you've set the panel up accordingly)
N - NOTAMS - any of them that are pertinent to the operation ("West helipad closed")
T - Threats - namely, the biggest threat you anticipate encountering, and how you intend to mitigate it.
 
Like Mike, I'm a keep it simple guy. Before the brief is the set-up - I use Comms, Navs, Headings, CIS (the last one is specific to the airframe - refers to setting up any kind of processed data.) No briefing here, just setting up.

The brief is uber simple: Name of the approach, inbound course, course reversal info, DH/MDA, MAP, and the first step of the Missed. Step downs are briefed as we go.
 
If its visual, then say its visual and anything that is important that the other may not know. Guys that do a full plate brief when it's 10/CLR piss me off. It's not an ILS, you don't have minimums, you don't follow the missed approach and there is no reasonable expectation that the Wx will go down. Don't talk just to talk. It takes away from what is important and the other guy won't be paying attention anyway. Don't make life harder than what it has to be. Only talk when you have something important to say. Review all applicable notams and only brief those that will be affecting your arrival or landing.
 
Like Mike, I'm a keep it simple guy. Before the brief is the set-up - I use Comms, Navs, Headings, CIS (the last one is specific to the airframe - refers to setting up any kind of processed data.) No briefing here, just setting up.

The brief is uber simple: Name of the approach, inbound course, course reversal info, DH/MDA, MAP, and the first step of the Missed. Step downs are briefed as we go.

Why you waste your time with that POS, I have no idea. And Army guys seem to love it. I hate it, especially when its so apt to screw me and I have to reset it, and the CPI is counter-intuitive.

Raw data works just fine for me. Interesting that for an aircraft where everything else is high quality, they install that piece of garbage.

The only thing I use the Nav bar function of the CIS for is to remind me Im in crossfeed.
 
The Company tells us to use "WANT".

W - Weather
A - Airport/area arrival (the approach itself gets briefed here; just read the items on the Briefing Strip and make sure you've set the panel up accordingly)
N - NOTAMS - any of them that are pertinent to the operation ("West helipad closed")
T - Threats - namely, the biggest threat you anticipate encountering, and how you intend to mitigate it.
I expect no threats. Ever. I don't fly in iran and syria.

Seriously? I've yet to see something remotely dangerous on an ifr plate.
 
Why you waste your time with that POS, I have no idea. And Army guys seem to love it. I hate it, especially when its so apt to screw me and I have to reset it, and the CPI is counter-intuitive.

Raw data works just fine for me. Interesting that for an aircraft where everything else is high quality, they install that piece of garbage.

The only thing I use the Nav bar function of the CIS for is to remind me Im in crossfeed.

Ah, c'mon Mike. The CIS isn't garbage. It's just garbage in, garbage out. Too many guys start activating the different modes before really starting an approach instead of turning them on in the proper order, and with the appropriate instruments set up to support it. I'd agree in saying that some of the CIS operations aren't the most intuitive, but if you know how to use it, it makes flying an instrument approach ridiculously easy.
 
The Company tells us to use "WANT".

W - Weather
A - Airport/area arrival (the approach itself gets briefed here; just read the items on the Briefing Strip and make sure you've set the panel up accordingly)
N - NOTAMS - any of them that are pertinent to the operation ("West helipad closed")
T - Threats - namely, the biggest threat you anticipate encountering, and how you intend to mitigate it.

I really like this one as it can be used for VFR approaches too.

When Bush Flying we don`t usually use any cklists everything is turned into Acronyms, yours will be added to my list.
 
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I expect no threats. Ever. I don't fly in iran and syria.

Seriously? I've yet to see something remotely dangerous on an ifr plate.
Threat and error management, dude. TEM is a conceptual underpinning for much of what we do here in terms of safety practices, in fact. It's good stuff and all operators should be using TEM concepts.

Threats are things that are beyond the immediate control of a flight crew. A threat unmanaged becomes an error; an error unmanaged becomes an undesired aircraft state. And an undesired aircraft state left unmanaged may result in anything from a clipped wingtip to a smoking crater and dead bodies. For instance:

"The biggest threat on our approach to Los Angeles today will be wake turbulence; to mitigate this threat, I will fly the approach deliberately one dot high and land beyond the proceeding heavy Airbus's touchdown point."
 
I really like this one as it can be used for VFR approaches too.

When Bush Flying we don`t usually use any cklists everything is turned into Acronyms, yours will be added to my list.
Sure.

The 'A' can be as simple as "this airplane, that runway, touchdown zone elevation 98 feet, plenty long, plenty dry, right turn, hold short of the parallel" for a visual approach to Home Base International or can be serious rocket launching for an approach that you rarely/never do in lousy weather.
 
I expect no threats. Ever. I don't fly in iran and syria.
Seriously? I've yet to see something remotely dangerous on an ifr plate.

I would think these are more environmental concerns of special emphasis like Ice, T-Storm Activity/Location, Terrain/Obstructions, Migratory Bird Activity, Tailwinds or Gusts, etc? Not necessarily "dangerous" just extra considerations and awareness building. Dunno, I'm just guessing as to the application.
 
I would think these are more environmental concerns of special emphasis like Ice, T-Storm Activity/Location, Terrain/Obstructions, Migratory Bird Activity, Tailwinds or Gusts, etc? Not necessarily "dangerous" just extra considerations and awareness building. Dunno, I'm just guessing as to the application.
You guess correctly.
 
This is another subject that has no one right answer. It's not procedural (unless in OpsSpecs), so there are many different techniques that get to the same conclusion, having covered the same stuff. How you do it, is up to individual taste.
 
This is another subject that has no one right answer.

Right, my question was more about harvesting some nuggets of wisdom that people have uncovered on making it simple/efficient/useful..."oh that could be helpful" type stuff.
 
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