Charts for instrument procedures include a lot of information, and IFR pilots learn to brief departures, arrivals, and approaches as part of the preparation for takeoff, descent, and landing.
Often, however, those briefings aren’t especially effective, because the pilot or crew just recites data on the chart and doesn’t actually prepare to fly the procedure by describing a plan that includes details such as how:
- You will join the procedure.
- You will use and monitor navigation sources (GPS or ground-based navaids) to track the initial and final approach segments of the procedure and to enhance situational awareness.
- You plan to configure the aircraft during an approach, especially along the final approach segment.
- You will navigate the missed approach segment.
In other words, just reading a chart aloud doesn’t truly prepare you to fly a procedure. It’s like trying to sight-read a piece of music instead of practicing before a recital. And too often, a traditional briefing is also rushed or juggled with other tasks, especially in an aircraft equipped with modern avionics.
Today most IFR pilots fly with at least some electronic displays and GPS navigators, and we use electronic flight bags—tablets and apps—to plan our flights on the ground and to display charts and related information in the air. Given the way we now fly IFR, it’s time to update the briefing process to reflect modern avionics and the tools we bring into the cockpit.
For a detailed explanation of how I teach procedure briefings, see:
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