APPROACH BRIEFING

This guide may assist you in ensuring all relevant areas are fully considered when conducting a briefing.

It is not necessary nor desirable to brief areas that are not relevant to the impending operation. It’s important that the briefing includes “HOW” a manoeuvre is to be flown, especially high workload situations such as a
go around, non precision approach or an engine failure on take off.

“WANT” is a big picture overview to identify and mitigate against the effects of any specific threats to the impending flight.

W A N T

W — Weather

Consider any significant weather present, and discuss how to manage potential threats such weather may bring forth.

A — Aircraft status

Refer to the MEL (Minimum Equipment List). Consider any aircraft defects and/or problems, and how to manage them.

N — NOTAMS

Take into account NOTAMS for the departure/destination Airfield, applicable Navaids, or immediate en-route problems and how to mitigate their effects.

T — TEM (Threat & Error Management)

Consider terrain, ATC issues, complex / unusual procedures, change of runways, your Plan B, diversions, etc.. How to mitigate such events?

Briefs are conducted and taught differently, varying between ATOs, flight instructors, as well as companies holding AOCs.

APPROACH BRIEFING EXAMPLE

An approach briefing should always begin with the question “Are you ready for approach briefing?” and should contain the following information:

• Final destination airport
• type of approach
• runway in use
• number of approach chart
• date of chart validity
• cross check that both crew members have the same chart,
• name and frequency of the main approach navaid checking setting of NAV 1 and NAV 2.
• final approach course — checking EFIS setting on both sides and backup ILS indicator
• altitude check point,
• minimum descend altitude,
• airport elevation, or runway elevation
• minimum safe altitude in approach sector and navaid
• missed approach procedure, read full approach chart instruction and check setting of navaid frequencies for missed approach procedure,
• runway offset
• instrument needed, check if DME is required, if RNP approach is expected, set contingency conventional instrument, i.e., RMI/DME, etc.,
• transition altitude and level, as appropriate,
• vertical and horizontal profile of the approach with focus on the points where you will change airplane configuration and call for checklists,
• length and width of the runway used for landing
• taxiway to vacate, HIRO if required
• equipment used for approach (HIRL, CL, HIALS, SFL, PAPI, TDZ, RVR),
• speeds that you will maintain during descent

At the very end we ask if all has been understood or if we should repeat something again?