Briefing an Approach Plate

[2nd505th]

I'm a newbie. Passed my written, couple hours in the air. I'm wondering on the check ride will the DPE give you an approach you have never seen before and expect you to brief it and fly it, go missed, etc?

I ask because right now It takes me 30 mins on the ground to figure it out. I can't imagine trying to fly, communicate, orientate and brief and not mess up.

Maybe it comes with time?

 

[tsts4]

By the time you take your check ride you won't have any problems doing it. In any event, you will most likely fly approaches you flew in training unless you travel someplace for your check ride.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Among other things, your CFII and others where you are training are likely to know any of the peculiarities of the DPE you will use.

That said, as @tsts4 said, you are probably going to fly approaches you have flown before. If you get an approach plate you have never seen before, it is far more likely to be on the ground than in the air.

plus, you are only just learning to brief and both your understanding and methodology will change. Take a long Notes section. Now you go through it meticulously. Later you will zap through it, recognizing and mentally discarding the many items which don't apply to you.

 

[luvflyin]

I'm a newbie. Passed my written, couple hours in the air. I'm wondering on the check ride will the DPE give you an approach you have never seen before and expect you to brief it and fly it, go missed, etc?

I ask because right now It takes me 30 mins on the ground to figure it out. I can't imagine trying to fly, communicate, orientate and brief and not mess up.

Maybe it comes with time?

It comes with time. I’m going to assume 30 minutes is an exaggeration if you’ve already passed the written. By the time you get your checkride you’ll have had plenty of time to become familiar with the Approaches around where you’ll take it.

 

[Doc Holliday]

NOTAMS always worked for me:

N= Navaids
O= Obstacles
T= Timing (if applicable)
A= Altitudes
M= Missed App procedure
S= Special Notes

 

[midlifeflyer]

NOTAMS always worked for me:

N= Navaids
O= Obstacles
T= Timing (if applicable)
A= Altitudes
M= Missed App procedure
S= Special Notes

If we are going to get into specific methodology, aside from my general dislike of mnemonics, I gave up on all the ones for briefing after the "briefing strip" developed researching how professional pilots brief approaches, was added to the plates.

FWIW, I also think what most of the mnemonics do is look at individual trees and miss the overall situational awareness provided by the forest of the Plan View.

 

[sarangan]

I'm a newbie. Passed my written, couple hours in the air. I'm wondering on the check ride will the DPE give you an approach you have never seen before and expect you to brief it and fly it, go missed, etc?

I ask because right now It takes me 30 mins on the ground to figure it out. I can't imagine trying to fly, communicate, orientate and brief and not mess up.

Maybe it comes with time?

Once you know what the critical things to look for, it will become easier. In real life, you will have plenty of time to brief the approach depending on how long your cruise is. The training environment is a lot harsher in that respect.

 

[RussR]

If we are going to get into specific methodology, aside from my general dislike of mnemonics, I gave up on all the ones for briefing after the "briefing strip" developed researching how professional pilots brief approaches, was added to the plates.

FWIW, I also think what most of the mnemonics do is look at individual trees and miss the overall situational awareness provided by the forest of the Plan View.

I have a "recurring training" client (not on here as far as I know*) who every time we fly has some new mnemonic or checklist or quaint memory-jogger term that he's found somewhere. It has taken a while, but I think I've finally gotten him to just brief the approach like reading a book - left to right, top to bottom. If you do everything as you read it on the chart, you will have done all the things the various mnemonics tell you to do - and not have to remember the mnemonic**.

To the OP, it will get easier. You're trying (and you need to) understand every single thing on the chart. But as you go on, you will learn what doesn't apply and can easily filter that out. For example, on the chart I have in front of me now, it has UHF frequencies for the control tower, for the military. I've had clients actually read them off out loud when there's no way you can even dial it into your radio - so it makes no sense to spend the time briefing it.

* I do have at least one client I know of on here, so if you're reading this, no, it's not you...
** I can't remember the last time I typed the word "mnemonic" now 4 times in the last couple of minutes. Is there a mnemonic for how to spell mnemonic? (That's 6 times now!)

 

[Badger]

On my IFR ride, the examiner gave me a non published hold.

I had never done this particular hold before, but by the time you get towards the end of your training, it's really just another set of data.

 

[TommyG]

You have to be prepared for anything during a checkride. The ACS spells out what is expected and what an examiner can use. You as a pilot should expect more from your CFII than to just prep you for a checkride. Too many instructors teach to pass a checkride on knowing what a DPE will most likely do. That is poor form on the instructors part. They should be teaching so that after you do your ride, you can safely go fly IFR in the system.

 

[Arnold]

It seems to me that learning and briefing are two different things. Approach charts do basically three things. 1) Get you onto the approach, 2) get you to the runway (or airport if circling), 3) get you safely away when you miss the approach. Three safety items: 1) don't go too low, 2) don't go too far, 3) don't go too fast. So that is the big picture. The difficulty with approach plates is that the big picture is easily obscured by details. Learning to read approach plates is a matter of starting big picture and then adding details. Briefing the approach is an exercise in organization and retention. I suggest first learn how the plate presents the big picture, and then learn techniques, such as self briefing, to manage the approach. Good luck.

 

[murphey]

I have a "recurring training" client (not on here as far as I know*) who every time we fly has some new mnemonic or checklist or quaint memory-jogger term that he's found somewhere. It has taken a while, but I think I've finally gotten him to just brief the approach like reading a book - left to right, top to bottom. If you do everything as you read it on the chart, you will have done all the things the various mnemonics tell you to do - and not have to remember the mnemonic**.

To the OP, it will get easier. You're trying (and you need to) understand every single thing on the chart. But as you go on, you will learn what doesn't apply and can easily filter that out. For example, on the chart I have in front of me now, it has UHF frequencies for the control tower, for the military. I've had clients actually read them off out loud when there's no way you can even dial it into your radio - so it makes no sense to spend the time briefing it.

* I do have at least one client I know of on here, so if you're reading this, no, it's not you...
** I can't remember the last time I typed the word "mnemonic" now 4 times in the last couple of minutes. Is there a mnemonic for how to spell mnemonic? (That's 6 times now!)

mnemonic.....the very old Jim Henson musical sketch...the first on Sesame Street waaaay back when, then when the Muppets had their own show...take just the consonants...MNMN

and then the updated version

 

[Larry Vrooman]

I had a new to me approach on my Instrument checkride - at the DPE's home field where I dropped him off. It was NDB approach and if you've done one, you've done them all as the only differences are frequency of the nav aid, the heading the altitudes and whether the protected airspace is to one side or the other for any holding and procedure turns.

Almost all approaches have very similar standard elements, so a new to you approach is mostly understanding how those basic elements string together along with key altitudes, headings, reference items (such as the radial from a VOR to an outer marker, etc), and frequencies. By the time you are ready for a checkride, you'll be comfortable with that.

That said, there's still an advantage to using paper, as you can print it out and highlight the critical information for quick reference.

In the real world it's also helpful to fly approaches at your destination before you depart using a flight sim along with your plates. It doesn't have to be certified, X-Plane 11 does just fine. It can also be a confidence builder if you are worried about getting thrown an entirely new to you approach on a checkride. Pick an approach anywhere, go over the plate, fly the approach.

 

[RussR]

That said, there's still an advantage to using paper, as you can print it out and highlight the critical information for quick reference.

Foreflight, and I assume other EFBs, allow highlighting of a procedure as well.

Related funny (and appropriate to the topic) story - years ago (with paper), an IFR student of mine started highlighting what he considered "important" information on the chart. However, it got to the point where he would show up the lesson with virtually everything on the chart highlighted - which of course defeats the purpose. Eventually I figured out that if I told him what procedures we were doing next time, he would sit down at home and literally try to memorize the procedure. This did NOT work well, as you can imagine. See the "forest" first, then figure out which "trees" are important.

 

[midlifeflyer]

if you've done one, you've done them al

While that is probably true for an ILS, and maybe for those who find the intuitive, as one who had a lot of trouble with them, I think there is a substantial difference between an approach using an on-airport NDB and one using an off-airport NDB. In one, your worst-case scenario is pretty much homing. Not that great, but you are getting closer to the airport. With the other, with the same level of (non)skill you are getting further away from the airport (angular) with every mile you fly.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Foreflight, and I assume other EFBs, allow highlighting of a procedure as well.

Good assumption. I've looked at over a dozen of them. I think all but maybe one (Naviator?) or two allow drawing on approach charts.

 

[Larry Vrooman]

While that is probably true for an ILS, and maybe for those who find the intuitive, as one who had a lot of trouble with them, I think there is a substantial difference between an approach using an on-airport NDB and one using an off-airport NDB. In one, your worst-case scenario is pretty much homing. Not that great, but you are getting closer to the airport. With the other, with the same level of (non)skill you are getting further away from the airport (angular) with every mile you fly.

The idea, even with a non-precision approach, is to arrive over the threshold of the runway, more or less on the runway heading, and more or less oriented to land. Homing on an NDB located on the field isn't going to get that done. I'm not sure what that is, but it is not an NDB approach.

Fortunately for a lot of pilots, NDB approaches are rapidly disappearing.

 

[aterpster]

The idea, even with a non-precision approach, is to arrive over the threshold of the runway, more or less on the runway heading, and more or less oriented to land. Homing on an NDB located on the field isn't going to get that done. I'm not sure what that is, but it is not an NDB approach.

Perhaps a circle to land only IAP?

 

[Ryan F.]

I've talked a great deal about briefings (all briefings, including instrument approach procedures) in the past, and consider them absolutely crucial in terms of safe, real-world instrument flying.

In terms of the FAA Instrument Rating - Airplane practical test, it might surprise you to hear that briefing the approach is not among the required Skills for Tasks VI.A. (Nonprecision approach) and VI.B. (Precision approach.) Nor is there mention of the brief as a Risk Management element.

But if not required in the Airman Certification Standards, it's "virtually" required to be successful in instrument flying. Verbal or non-verbal, regardless of the technique or method used, you've just really gotta do it. And failing to do it well is probably going to lead to a failure on the Instrument Rating practical test, because you'll forget something important -- such as ID'ing a VOR or LOC frequency (seen it on practical tests), setting the correct course on the HSI or CDI (seen it on practical tests), choosing the wrong frequency altogether (seen it on practical tests) or forgetting the MDA, DA, or MAP (seen it on practical tests.) I suppose you get the picture there.

There's a lot of good guidance on good briefing techniques out there and I won't attempt to replay them here. They're easy to find on the web. But you might find this useful: "Common Approach Briefing Miscues" as I've seen them on practical tests. I wrote this as a blog entry on my website. In this little interactive demo I do speak to some techniques I favor such as proper sequencing of the briefing to include the missed approach being briefed after, not before the approach procedure itself. And as an instructor I've always taught that a good brief always starts with verifying the chart is current (step #1) and that it's the correct airport, approach, and runway (#2). A very common error is literally loading and/or briefing the wrong approach, so don't be in too big of a hurry to skip these steps. ESPECIALLY... NOTAMS! Surefire way to bust an instrument practical test is to fail to apply NOTAMS which affect how an instrument procedure is to be flown.

Hope this helps, and best of luck to you.

 

[PaulS]

I've talked a great deal about briefings (all briefings, including instrument approach procedures) in the past, and consider them absolutely crucial in terms of safe, real-world instrument flying.

In terms of the FAA Instrument Rating - Airplane practical test, it might surprise you to hear that briefing the approach is not among the required Skills for Tasks VI.A. (Nonprecision approach) and VI.B. (Precision approach.) Nor is there mention of the brief as a Risk Management element.

But if not required in the Airman Certification Standards, it's "virtually" required to be successful in instrument flying. Verbal or non-verbal, regardless of the technique or method used, you've just really gotta do it. And failing to do it well is probably going to lead to a failure on the Instrument Rating practical test, because you'll forget something important -- such as ID'ing a VOR or LOC frequency (seen it on practical tests), setting the correct course on the HSI or CDI (seen it on practical tests), choosing the wrong frequency altogether (seen it on practical tests) or forgetting the MDA, DA, or MAP (seen it on practical tests.) I suppose you get the picture there.

There's a lot of good guidance on good briefing techniques out there and I won't attempt to replay them here. They're easy to find on the web. But you might find this useful: "Common Approach Briefing Miscues" as I've seen them on practical tests. I wrote this as a blog entry on my website. In this little interactive demo I do speak to some techniques I favor such as proper sequencing of the briefing to include the missed approach being briefed after, not before the approach procedure itself. And as an instructor I've always taught that a good brief always starts with verifying the chart is current (step #1) and that it's the correct airport, approach, and runway (#2). A very common error is literally loading and/or briefing the wrong approach, so don't be in too big of a hurry to skip these steps. ESPECIALLY... NOTAMS! Surefire way to bust an instrument practical test is to fail to apply NOTAMS which affect how an instrument procedure is to be flown.

Hope this helps, and best of luck to you.

Nice link Ryan, thank you.

 

[James331]

Don’t overthink it

I just work my way from the top to the bottom, kinda like how write a clearance, I’m not playing IFR bingo

 

[midlifeflyer]

I favor such as proper sequencing of the briefing to include the missed approach being briefed after, not before the approach procedure itself.

I alluded earlier to my affinity for the Plan View. After the verification of correct chart and any frequencies needed, when I get to the description of the missed, rather than read it immediately, I go to the Plan View for overall situational awareness. The routing I will likely follow from where I am now through the missed. The numbers - courses, altitudes - and the missed fill in the details.

I was an inadequate briefer long after I got the rating until I came upon this technique, of all places, while walking along a beach visualizing a flight i was planning. I think it might accomplish what you are talking about. "After not before" places the missed in context and context, if not absolutely necessary, is helpful to understanding,

 

[Ryan F.]

I alluded earlier to my affinity for the Plan View. After the verification of correct chart and any frequencies needed, when I get to the description of the missed, rather than read it immediately, I go to the Plan View for overall situational awareness. The routing I will likely follow from where I am now through the missed. The numbers - courses, altitudes - and the missed fill in the details.

I was an inadequate briefer long after I got the rating until I came upon this technique, of all places, while walking along a beach visualizing a flight i was planning. I think it might accomplish what you are talking about. "After not before" places the missed in context and context, if not absolutely necessary, is helpful to understanding,

That's smart -- good forward thinking on your part.

There's a lot of modern thinking and knowledge gained regarding briefings out there. Collective experience fills a well which continually informs industry as to best practices and improvements to crew SA through procedure. I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to attend the University of Southern California's Human Factors in Aviation course a couple of years ago. Among other TSAs, a great deal of attention was given to crew briefings and their roles in accidents, as well as modern techniques and methods for briefing. There's certainly a lot more that goes into it than "just read the procedure top left to bottom right," which is a massive oversimplification. Good briefings involve more than just a technique, they're part of an actual mindset which affects overall SA.

At BASS 2017 I attended the first lecture on the "threat forward" or T-P-C briefing concept which Flight Safety Foundation ultimately published and recommended. I pulled elements of it into my standard departure and approach brief which always starts with the most obvious threats for the day -- sometimes it's weather, sometimes it's the possibility of fatigue (long international flight for example), and sometimes it's me. I fly two different aircraft types, so if it's been awhile since I've flown one vs. the other I'll note crew currency as a possible threat. After that we get into the Plan and Considerations. (For some this might seem like overkill for single pilot GA IFR ops, but if anything it's just scratching the surface of what we can do to fly more safely in less-automated environments, in airplanes with less redundancy, without a second crewmember backing us up.)

 

[luvflyin]

Foreflight, and I assume other EFBs, allow highlighting of a procedure as well.

Related funny (and appropriate to the topic) story - years ago (with paper), an IFR student of mine started highlighting what he considered "important" information on the chart. However, it got to the point where he would show up the lesson with virtually everything on the chart highlighted - which of course defeats the purpose. Eventually I figured out that if I told him what procedures we were doing next time, he would sit down at home and literally try to memorize the procedure. This did NOT work well, as you can imagine. See the "forest" first, then figure out which "trees" are important.

When I’m planning a flight I print the Charts I’m likely to use and ‘black out’ the stuff that doesn’t pertain to me. Makes it much easier to read and brief a Chart. I just check everything that is there.

 

[Doc Holliday]

If we are going to get into specific methodology, aside from my general dislike of mnemonics, I gave up on all the ones for briefing after the "briefing strip" developed researching how professional pilots brief approaches, was added to the plates.

FWIW, I also think what most of the mnemonics do is look at individual trees and miss the overall situational awareness provided by the forest of the Plan View.

Not everyone learns the same. To be an effective instructor this must be taken into consideration.

The NOTAM method worked for me for several decades, and still works.

Whatever works for you, use that.

 

[aterpster]

When I’m planning a flight I print the Charts I’m likely to use and ‘black out’ the stuff that doesn’t pertain to me. Makes it much easier to read and brief a Chart. I just check everything that is there.

If database charts finally become a reality, your electronic chart display will essentially do just that. With a database chart once you activate a given IAF or feeder fix, the non-pertinent terminal routes drop off the electronic chart.

 

[aterpster]

I alluded earlier to my affinity for the Plan View. After the verification of correct chart and any frequencies needed, when I get to the description of the missed, rather than read it immediately, I go to the Plan View for overall situational awareness. The routing I will likely follow from where I am now through the missed. The numbers - courses, altitudes - and the missed fill in the details.

To put that another way, over-reliance on the profile view can be deadly. That lesson of TWA 514 from 1974 is still valid today.

 

[Plano Pilot]

When I’m planning a flight I print the Charts I’m likely to use and ‘black out’ the stuff that doesn’t pertain to me. Makes it much easier to read and brief a Chart. I just check everything that is there.

I would recommend highlighting the things that do pertain to you. Things change and you might need what is blacked out.

 

[luvflyin]

I would recommend highlighting the things that do pertain to you. Things change and you might need what is blacked out.

I only black out things that literally cannot apply to me. I fly slow bugsmashers with cheap avionics. It’s the notes box that gets a lot of blacking out and lines of minimums. Some stuff on the Planview sometimes also.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Not everyone learns the same. To be an effective instructor this must be taken into consideration.

Always. You are preaching to the choir.

 

[2nd505th]

I've talked a great deal about briefings (all briefings, including instrument approach procedures) in the past, and consider them absolutely crucial in terms of safe, real-world instrument flying.

In terms of the FAA Instrument Rating - Airplane practical test, it might surprise you to hear that briefing the approach is not among the required Skills for Tasks VI.A. (Nonprecision approach) and VI.B. (Precision approach.) Nor is there mention of the brief as a Risk Management element.

But if not required in the Airman Certification Standards, it's "virtually" required to be successful in instrument flying. Verbal or non-verbal, regardless of the technique or method used, you've just really gotta do it. And failing to do it well is probably going to lead to a failure on the Instrument Rating practical test, because you'll forget something important -- such as ID'ing a VOR or LOC frequency (seen it on practical tests), setting the correct course on the HSI or CDI (seen it on practical tests), choosing the wrong frequency altogether (seen it on practical tests) or forgetting the MDA, DA, or MAP (seen it on practical tests.) I suppose you get the picture there.

There's a lot of good guidance on good briefing techniques out there and I won't attempt to replay them here. They're easy to find on the web. But you might find this useful: "Common Approach Briefing Miscues" as I've seen them on practical tests. I wrote this as a blog entry on my website. In this little interactive demo I do speak to some techniques I favor such as proper sequencing of the briefing to include the missed approach being briefed after, not before the approach procedure itself. And as an instructor I've always taught that a good brief always starts with verifying the chart is current (step #1) and that it's the correct airport, approach, and runway (#2). A very common error is literally loading and/or briefing the wrong approach, so don't be in too big of a hurry to skip these steps. ESPECIALLY... NOTAMS! Surefire way to bust an instrument practical test is to fail to apply NOTAMS which affect how an instrument procedure is to be flown.

Hope this helps, and best of luck to you.

Wow - this site and you people are of such a great help. I just noticed this video - appears their mistake was not to brief.

 

[dtuuri]

...appears their mistake was not to brief.

They made a lot of mistakes, if intentionally disregarding company policy is a "mistake", but none were fatal until they banked over 30°. When that "mistake" couldn't be resisted in favor of doing something else, the PIC tempted the gods.

 

[tortellini]

I look at the approach on the ground if possible to understand the general flying procedure and expected entry. Then when in the air go through the list myself and setup the airplane (i.e. set the comms as able, load approach, etc.), then will read off plate verbally like a checklist to brief copilot (correct approach loaded, proper coms set/verified).

What helped me was practicing approach briefings at home for my local airport. You'll be familiar with the waypoints, topography, and navaids to be able to understand why an approach is the way it is. Also helped to brief then fly them in fsx when the hobbs wasn't spinning and there was no pressure.