Approach Briefings

[GrahamC]

Hi all,

I've been Instrument rated for a couple years now, and I was current for the first 6 months after my check ride, and not a day longer. Needless to say, I'm a little rusty. I just started my multi-commercial add-on flight course, and I'm relearning all of my instrument flying skills. My question to all of you, is what do you include in your approach briefings?
I make due in the simulator, but I feel like my briefing could use a lot of work. I usually state the name of the approach, any step-downs, our minimums for the approach, and then our missed approach procedures. Short of reading the whole plate, I don't know what else I'm missing, but my briefing just sounds like its lacking.

Do you all have any pointers? I'm a bit rusty with my instrument flying to say the least.

Thanks!

 

[midlifeflyer]

Don't know how long it has been for you, but some years back Jeppesen and the FAA both began using a "briefing strip" to highlight the major gotchas. So, while there are all sorts of mnemonics and acronyms out there, simple using the chart as a guide is really the simplets to cover the bases.

In terms of my own methodology, I first look at the plan view for general situational awareness and to get an idea which of multiple IAFs is the one I'm going to use. Then it's just going through the briefing strip, seeing if any notes are applicable, setting or confirming navs and comms as appropriate as you go along, and then down to the profile view for a bit more detail on the final intercept and flight to the MAP/DA.

If you're rusty, do it with a series of charts. Don't try to rush it. You'll ultimately find a full approach briefing takes no more than a minute or two even if interspersed with other tasks. The key is consistency in how you approach it.

 

[mjburian]

My approach briefing basically follows this order (top to bottom on the FAA charts, but since I've previewed all of the charts before the flight, I don't generally go through EVERYTHING):

Approach name and airport
Nav to be used (ie, LOC) and frequency
Approach course
Runway info (landing distance, TDZE)
Comms (ATIS, approach, tower/CTAF, ground)
Overview of approach (2500' until X, then down to 2000' until Y, DA/MDA at Z')
Landing and runway exit info (PAPI on left side, exit runway to the right)
Missed approach procedure

That takes me about a minute if I just read through it all and closer to 2 minutes if I tune all of the radios during the briefing. I've found it easier to split the two tasks (gives me a break between to check on things) and I use a mnemonic (don't flame me) of WIRED for each approach.

Weather (get the ATIS, helps know which approach to expect)
Instrument Approach Briefing
Radios
Everything Look Good? (double check)
Descent (run the checklist and start the descent when appropriate)

The question I continually ask myself as I'm getting ready for an approach is "Is the approach wired?" Once it is, I can concentrate on just flying the approach and running the before landing checklist prior to the final approach fix.

 

[kayoh190]

I follow the briefing strip, talk about any relevant items in the notes, make mention of the VGSI (or lack thereof), and finally anything 'special' about the approach worth pointing out.

As I'm going through the briefing, I'll also double-check that the avionics are set up properly, etc...

 

[midlifeflyer]

My approach briefing basically follows this order (top to bottom on the FAA charts, but since I've previewed all of the charts before the flight, I don't generally go through EVERYTHING):

There are a number of YouTube videos on the subject (as one would expect). I don't have the link but one interesting one expanded on the "you don't have to brief everything" theme. After running through the briefing of an actual chart, he then explained why he chose not to brief certain items.

The reasons varied but I thought it came down to recognizing that certain items lacked enough importance in certain situations to take more than passing note of; not a decision to avoid looking at them. After all, how do you know whether notes apply unless you at least briefly look at them.

For example, destination runway length is something we've hopefully looked at having looked at before we ever took off. ATIS or AWOS frequency is something we tune in before the briefing stage to help us decide which approach to brief. Reported 1000' ceilings help put the minimums and the likely need to go mixed into context.

I like the concept of a standardized "flow" to the briefing, recognizing that some information may be more important than others.

 

[Gucci Pilot]

along with what other guys have said, I throw in a target descent rate in ft/min and the minimum safe altitude(for if I lose total SA and **** hits the fan)

 

[petrolero]

I have all my local airport procedures highlighted and marked up in ForeFlight (fantastic features for this in FF) with DAs written in red and missed procedures outlined in red. Gotta be a little careful writing in DAs or MDAs because they can change (as happened recently at KAPA - not bitter tho)


Depending on what I'm doing I may have the approach loaded already, but for the briefing I start with

• title of the approach with the airport name and make sure I say out loud and select VLOC or GPS as appropriate - that is the $500 button on a check ride.
• Load or Activate the approach as appropriate and I haven't already
• Then I work left to right across the briefing strip, dialing in freqs (into both nav radios) and app course (LOC)
• approach lighting,
• missed procedure,
• comm frequencies dialing in as appropriate and setting up the comm switch sequence. I like the switch to tower to be done by switching radios using the comm select knob on my audio panel. It's a big dumb knob that I can operate with little to no dexterity while maneuvering.

Then I work down to the plan view and

• call out fixes and leg courses & altitudes for GPS approaches, as needed.
• For an ILS or LPV I'll do something like "intercept localizer maintain 8000 to intercept,
• drop gear and flaps when GS is one dot above (or ac is one dot below GS depending how you look at it),
• CASSE FAF, start timer (honestly, I usually rely on the GPS in lieu of the timer)
• descending via GS around 500 fpm 100 kts.
• DA for the straight-in ILS cat A will be ________ which is ______ ft AGL, 1/2 mile vis required.

And then I rehearse the missed one more time, confirm the approach is dialed in and activated then confirm all the freqs, and check I got wheels and a green light a couple times on final. Land, shut down, drink beer.

 

[AggieMike88]

comm frequencies dialing in as appropriate and setting up the comm switch sequence. I like the switch to tower to be done by switching radios using the comm select knob on my audio panel. It's a big dumb knob that I can operate with little to no dexterity while maneuvering.

This was shown to me soon after I obtained the PPL and I thought it was one of the best tricks going. More primary instructors need to teach this.

What do you have loaded in your standby slots?

 

[denverpilot]

This was shown to me soon after I obtained the PPL and I thought it was one of the best tricks going. More primary instructors need to teach this.



What do you have loaded in your standby slots?

I like:

App/Dep primary comm 2, don't care secondary.
Tower primary comm 1, ATIS secondary, change to ground.

Talking to App on comm 2, dial ATIS into com 1, copy, flip the radio, dial tower, deselect listening to it, flip it again, dial ground, flip it back to tower. It's all set for "contact tower" now and later, taxiing off.

Use comm 2 for everything prior to contact tower.

Just my method. Plenty of other ways to skin the cat. But if I go missed, a flip to com 2 handles "contact departure". If I land, I flip flop com 1 to taxi.

Maybe someone has a better way, but I like mine and can do it consistently without thinking about it much.

 

[midlifeflyer]

This was shown to me soon after I obtained the PPL and I thought it was one of the best tricks going. More primary instructors need to teach this.

What do you have loaded in your standby slots?

One of the things being taught these days is a system of radio use with frequencies for air communication in Comm 1 and others (Ground, ATIS) in Comm 2. I saw it in use and immediately adopted it as making a lot of sense.

The other frequency in a flip flop is tuned to what you think will be used next. So, for example, for a towered airport, you'd have the ATIS and Ground in Nav 2 and Approach and Tower (or the anticipated next approach frequency) in Nav 1.

The advantage is that it's an SOP. Do the same thing the same way all the time in a systematic way so it's less prone to error, rather than some magic in what goes where (see Nate's example of a different but for him consistent system)

 

[mjburian]

I like:

App/Dep primary comm 2, don't care secondary.
Tower primary comm 1, ATIS secondary, change to ground.

Talking to App on comm 2, dial ATIS into com 1, copy, flip the radio, dial tower, deselect listening to it, flip it again, dial ground, flip it back to tower. It's all set for "contact tower" now and later, taxiing off.

Use comm 2 for everything prior to contact tower.

Just my method. Plenty of other ways to skin the cat. But if I go missed, a flip to com 2 handles "contact departure". If I land, I flip flop com 1 to taxi.

Maybe someone has a better way, but I like mine and can do it consistently without thinking about it much.

I like Kent's approach best (apologies if I have any of these details wrong, Kent, but this is how I remember it and have been trying to do it):

Comm 1 is on Approach and Tower in standby
Comm 2 is on Guard with ATIS in standby

Always listening on both. As you get close enough, flip flop Comm 2 and get the ATIS. Then flip flop it back and change Comm 2 standby to ground freq.

When appropriate, flip flop Comm 1 to tower and you have approach in standby (easy to get back to). Ground on the Comm 2 standby is also easy to get to, but two steps instead of one (switch transmit to Comm 2 and flip flop)... which shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish once you've exited the runway.

 

[RotorAndWing]

NOTAM

"N"= Navaids
"O"= Obstacles
"T"= Timing (if applicable)
"A"= Altitudes
"M"=Missed Approach

Verify the plate against the NavAids and any bugs that are set up.

Just come up with a flow and system that works best for you.

 

[jordane93]

I pretty much go from top to bottom, left to right. Paying close attention to the approach course, altitudes, and missed approach procedure.

 

[asgcpa]

I pretty much go from top to bottom, left to right. Paying close attention to the approach course, altitudes, and missed approach procedure.

And don't forget the notes that may be on the chart.

 

[denverpilot]

I like Kent's approach best (apologies if I have any of these details wrong, Kent, but this is how I remember it and have been trying to do it):

Comm 1 is on Approach and Tower in standby
Comm 2 is on Guard with ATIS in standby

Always listening on both. As you get close enough, flip flop Comm 2 and get the ATIS. Then flip flop it back and change Comm 2 standby to ground freq.

When appropriate, flip flop Comm 1 to tower and you have approach in standby (easy to get back to). Ground on the Comm 2 standby is also easy to get to, but two steps instead of one (switch transmit to Comm 2 and flip flop)... which shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish once you've exited the runway.

You that'd work too. Mainly it's about being consistent and always having a way forward and backward in the freq list. Easy with two flip-flop comms. Not as easy with two non-flip-flop or one flip-flop.

And then of course there's the Garmin stuff that can load it all from the database...

 

[mswmsw]

........is what do you include in your approach briefings?

Like others, I am primarily a "Briefing Strip" guy. But there's a couple other items that I have found important to discuss, which I have not seen mentioned yet in this thread. My comments are based, at least in part, on several years of initial and recurrent sim sessions (primarily Gulfstreams) where I have been paired up with a wide variety of pilots from many different big-cabin jet operators, and might - or might not - be more applicable in a crew environment than for single pilot flying. One is that the Briefing Pilot should state the chart date and the chart number. This becomes especially important at bigger airports with multiple approaches to the same runway that have "similar" titles. The other thing I have noticed a lot of professional pilots do in their Approach Briefings is to discuss a "Runway Exit Strategy"..... what taxiway they expect to make their turn-off at, and their expected route to the FBO. This addition to the Approach Briefing at least calls ones attention to the taxiway layout(s) and names, so when you get your taxi clearance, you have a bit of pre-planned familiarity with what you are likely to hear over the radio.

(On a similar vein, though a bit off topic, at big airports with lots of taxiways and complex taxi instructions, I always listen to Ground Control before engine start, so I have some idea of what my taxi clearance will be, from the FBO to my expected assigned takeoff runway. This lets me "pre-brief" myself on the expected taxi route so the taxi clearance makes sense when I hear it given to me in the rapid fire cadence so common at big, busy airports.)

 

[denverpilot]

I think one of the things the "briefing strip" method leaves out (that some of the others get right like R&W) is obstacles.

Actually looking at and really comprehending the MSA circle and having it way in the back of your mind as information on where your final "out" really is.

The "Where are we going if the entire panel flakes out and we've got the wet compass and a climb available and that's it, until we can figure out how to get into Plan B mode".

Jesse brought this one home to me during training by "failing" a lot of stuff on a DME arc at night in the pitch black.

Yes, it was flyable and he showed me how, but during debrief we talked about what you do when you completely lose SA and need to climb and get the hell out of the approach altitudes, and above all surrounding obstacles and terrain altogether, for a brain reset.

Especially single pilot. Look at that MSA circle every time and know where you are going to go.

 

[ARFlyer]

This was shown to me soon after I obtained the PPL and I thought it was one of the best tricks going. More primary instructors need to teach this.

What do you have loaded in your standby slots?

If I have two radios I use the #1 for commucation and the #2 for ATIS/Weather.

I just set the active/standby in the order I'm using freq. e.g. TWR in active and DEP in standby. As soon as a freq goes into active I'll dail in the next if I know it.

I use to use the trick your replying to. However, I'm in so many different aircraft I never know if the comm 2 actually works. So that's the reason for using comm 2 in weather mode.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I think one of the things the "briefing strip" method leaves out (that some of the others get right like R&W) is obstacles.

Absolutely! That's one reason I start with the profile plan view. Not only does it get me thinking about which IAF I would use based on my direction of flight but it is also the only real situational awareness tool on the chart. Not only the MSA but the location of terrain and obstacles.

Edit to fix.

 

[dtuuri]

Absolutely! That's one reason I start with the profile plan view. Not only does it get me thinking about which IAF I would use based on my direction of flight but it is also the only real situational awareness tool on the chart. Not only the MSA but the location of terrain and obstacles.

FTFY.

dtuuri

 

[ARFlyer]

Absolutely! That's one reason I start with the profile view. Not only does it get me thinking about which IAF I would use based on my direction of flight but it is also the only real situational awareness tool on the chart. Not only the MSA but the location of terrain and obstacles.

+1

There is a local approach that has a tower just outside the safety corridor. I never noticed it until I became a instructor. I looked out the window one day and thought that the tower was tad bit close.

 

[midlifeflyer]

FTFY.

dtuuri

Thank you. Repair made.

 

[denverpilot]

+1



There is a local approach that has a tower just outside the safety corridor. I never noticed it until I became a instructor. I looked out the window one day and thought that the tower was tad bit close.

But you also knew where the safety corridor ended. Which means you took the time to look.