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There are lots of recreation of flights where the pilots seem to look at the approach chart and all approach considerations just before they begin their approach for the destination airport. This seems to just asking to make serious mistakes. Is it current best practice to consider the destination airport approach (and somewhat alternates) before departing? And why wasn't done a long time ago?

Thomas Perry
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user2617804
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  • Your question is a little muddled. (E.g. currently consider the considerations?) Yes, it’s always a good idea to be familiar with approaches before departing. The level of effort spent during preflight planning depends on weather, experience and familiarity. I'm curious, what is the basis for this observation of yours? – Michael Hall Dec 15 '22 at 17:36
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    An airport near me has a staggering 53 approaches. Which one(s) do you suggest pilots review beforehand? – StephenS Dec 16 '22 at 05:48
  • The one you must likely to assigned and general details of all approaches. – user2617804 Dec 16 '22 at 08:51
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    I eventually downvoted your question because you are assuming that pilots 50 years ago didn't consider IAPs during preflight planning without providing a basis for your claim, and you ignored my question about it. Were you in a position 50 years ago to regularly observe instrument rated recreational pilots during preflight planning? – Michael Hall Dec 16 '22 at 21:24
  • The assumption embedded in your question is simply wrong. – KorvinStarmast Dec 19 '22 at 22:08
  • What assumption? PIA Flight 268 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypRFJdlnwzk – user2617804 Dec 20 '22 at 10:34
  • You're making the claim "why didn't pilots seem to do it 50 years ago?" based on one accident? – CGCampbell Dec 20 '22 at 12:23

2 Answers2

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It is always a good idea to be familiar with the approaches into your destination airport before you depart. But it's also a good idea to review the approach just before starting it, especially after what might have been a long flight.

This is further complicated by the fact that you don't necessarily know which approach you will be assigned until you get there. Sure, you can include a specific approach in your flight plan, but that's no guarantee. If the weather changes, or the airport ATC reorganizes the flow of traffic, or if the controller just feels like it, they may assign you a different approach from what you looked at before you took off.

HiddenWindshield
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Briefing an approach is always a good idea. As a CFII, I teach my students to review and thoroughly brief an approach on the ground prior to the flight in order to carefully review the IAP in order to catch unique features and difficulties associated with the approach. Some approaches a pretty straightforward, others can have nuances that are difficult to spot a casual glass or notes that need to be followed.

In flight, I teach people to fly approaches by BRAVE’M

Brief - review the approach and all information in preparation to fly it well in advance of when you were going to receive a clearance to do so.

Radios - set your COMMS to the appropriate frequencies and have needed freqs ready in the stnby slots as well

ATIS - copy down your ATIS report at your destination airport ASAP.

VORs, GPS & & Other NAVAIDS - set your NAV radios, GNSS, etc as required to fly the approach. Load your approach, and your GPS and make ready to activate it per ATC instructions. Set up a make ready to use the autopilot for the approach and missed procedure, if you have it available. This includes planning for and setting up your navigation equipment to fly the missed approach, if required to do so.

Establish and Execute with ATC clearance - establish and/or fly the approach per ATC clearance. Activate APR mode on the autopilot, if available.

Missed - be prepared to fly the published missed approach procedure, or following ATC instructions as required if, for any reason you either cannot continue to execute the approach or descend below minimums.

By default, your briefing of the approach in the air cannot be as detailed as a code on the ground, given the demands of PIC. This is why it pays dividends to brief approaches prior to flying the airplane. That being said, I also understand that going into high density, traffic, environments, and other demands from ATC, you may not get the exact approach that you wanted. You have to be able to quickly adapt to ATC instructions as well.

Romeo_4808N
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