As a flight instructor, I am always curious to observe my students' briefing. Pre-takeoff, approach, or even pre-flight briefings all contain many indicators, or clues, about the pilot in question. In fact, in my experience, it is often possible to predict with some degree of accuracy the tendencies and traits of the pilot performing the brief based on how they do it.
As pilots, all of us at some point or another have gone through the process of briefing ourselves, or another pilot, on an upcoming phase of flight or objective we're preparing to accomplish. Whether we're flying in a two-crewmember aircraft and practicing good procedure, or just reminding ourselves by saying it aloud, the briefing serves an important role as a plan of action and blueprint for a soon-to-be-committed act of aviation.
For example, when we brief the takeoff, we tend to include particulars such as the departure procedure (if IFR) and any applicable emergency procedures we may need to perform during climbout. The briefings may be very different in scope and detail, depending on whether we're flying a Cessna 172, a GA-7 Cougar, or for the professionals among us, perhaps a turboprop or jet.
Briefings are aircraft and type specific. For example, briefing the takeoff procedure in a light piston twin should be more in-depth and custom-tailored to the conditions at hand, as compared to most light single-engine piston airplanes.
But briefings are -- or should be -- common to all pilots and all airplanes. We pilots should always brief our intentions, even if we're departing VFR from a long runway on a crystal-clear day in calm winds.
In fact, the FAA expects us to be good 'briefers'. Special attention is given to the topic within the FAA Airmen Practical Test Standards. For Private and Commercial Pilot applicants, a briefing on 'positive exchange of controls' must occur. Additionally, the applicant must brief his/her passengers on the use of seatbelts and safety devices. For Airline Transport Pilots, the FAA's emphasis on crew briefings takes on a more prominent role during the checkride. In the ATP Airplane PTS, the Crew Resource Management task is expanded to include briefings 'before each takeoff/departure and approach/landing' and is very specific:
"If the operator or aircraft manufacturer has not specified a briefing, the briefing must cover the appropriate items, such as: departure runway, DP/STAR/IAP, power settings, speeds, abnormal or emergency procedures
prior to or after reaching decision speed (i.e., V1 or VMC), emergency return intentions, missed approach procedures, FAF, altitude at FAF, initial rate of descent, DA/DH/MDA, time to missed approach, and what is expected of the other crewmembers during the takeoff/DP and approach/landing."
Of course, not all of these items are applicable to our operations as private pilots. Most of us won't have to worry about calculating a V1 speed. And many of us fly VFR more than we do on instruments, which would negate those IFR-specific briefing requirements. Nor will we always have 'other crewmembers' available to help -- although certainly most of us wouldn't mind a flight attendant to serve up a snack and ice-cold drink on those long cross-country flights! And finally, one could argue that these briefings are required at the ATP level (and not at the private pilot or commercial pilot level) for a reason.
But wouldn't it make the most sense for us to treat our flying with a level of professional respect that would make an airline captain proud? And beyond professionalism, briefings make us safer, especially when long lapses of inactivty punctuate our personal flying schedule.
Here's what I look for in a pre-takeoff (VFR) briefing.
"We'll be taking off on runway 7 today. We have 6003 feet available which is sufficient for a normal takeoff. Winds are 020 at 10 knots, so we'll use left crosswind correction during the takeoff roll. We'll rotate at 55 knots and climb at Vy, which is 74 knots, and make a left downwind departure for the Lake Apopka practice area. In the event of engine failure, or anything abnormal during the roll, we'll abort by pulling the throttle to idle and braking to a stop on the runway. If we lose the engine on climbout with runway remaining, we will land straight ahead on the remaining runway. Below 800 feet without sufficient runway remaining, we'll pitch for best glide, choose a suitable landing spot and use shallow turns to land roughly straight ahead. Above 800 feet, assuming the airport is assured, we will turn back to the airport, declare an emergency and land on any runway, taxiway, or clear area."
Some thoughts: which direction would you generally turn to return to the airport if you experienced an emergency on departure? All else being equal, it's best to turn into the wind to shorten your turning radius. And in the event of engine failure, would you accept landing on the remaining runway even if it meant an overrun off the pavement? It's likely to be your best option, especially considering the limited options for off-field landings we have surrounding the Orlando Executive airport. The time for the Pilot-in-Command to decide what he or she is willing to do is while still on the ground, before takeoff.
A thorough, crisp briefing tells me that the pilot I'm flying with has a professional attitude towards his/her flying. More importantly, it indicates that in the unlikely event of an emergency situation, this person will be ready.
In Pt. II, we'll discuss instrument and multi-engine briefings.