Cockpit Procedures: Effective Routines for Pilots and Virtual Aviators

By Chris R. Burger

How-to guide for what you should be doing in the cockpit during each phase of flight

Written by an experienced instructor and pilot examiner, Cockpit Procedures: Effective Routines for Pilots and Virtual Aviators provides a solid understanding of the underlying principles for, and detailed descriptions of the checklists and routines used in many flight schools. Readers will find it contains a practical definition of airmanship, and covers what good habits to develop, effective workload management, and even what you should have in your flight bag. Cockpit Procedures is about cockpit actions and thinking, giving readers the rationale behind common procedures that are standard practice in the training environment and in the airlines.

Both airplanes and helicopters are covered, delivering the essential aspects of effective training: technical knowledge, practical application and context learning. Cockpit Procedures targets the pilot just beginning his/her career, yet many of the philosophies and practical techniques taught here are so fundamental and powerful they will carry a pilot right through to retirement. While encouraging structure and discipline regarding procedures, the author does not merely check off lists of dry facts—Cockpit Procedures is also fun to read and Chris Burger keeps his readers focused with lively description and his knack for getting down to essentials in such a way that they stay with you.

Getting the most from Cockpit Procedures:

• Student pilots can read the book repeatedly to reinforce the routines that their flight instructors are trying to teach them. Arriving prepared is the best way to obtain maximum benefit from expensive flight instruction.
• Certificated pilots can learn to become more methodical, reducing the chances of missing important cues when things go wrong. They can also become more adaptable, easing the transition into other, more complex aircraft.
• Flight instructors can use the book to great effect to improve their students’ performance in the cockpit, and to standardize operations in a flight school to improve cooperation among instructors.
• Virtual aviators can learn to conduct a flight with maximum realism, using actual procedures used in the cockpits of real airplanes and helicopters.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 2, 2008
• ISBN: 9781644251331

Book preview

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Cockpit Procedures: Effective routines for pilots and virtual aviators

by Chris R. Burger

Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.

7005 132nd Place

Newcastle, Washington 98059

[e-mail] | 425-235-1500 | asa2fly.com

© 2008 Chris R. Burger

eBook edition published 2021 by Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and Chris R. Burger assume no responsibility for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

None of the material in this book supersedes any operational documents or procedures issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, aircraft and avionics manufacturers, flight schools, or the operators of aircraft.

ASA-COCKPIT-P-EB

ISBN 978-1-64425-133-1

Additional formats available:

Softcover ISBN 978-1-56027-721-7

eBook PDF ISBN 978-1-64425-134-8

Foreword

It is a privilege to have been asked to write the foreword for this book. Enthusiasm and a genuine love of aviation have driven Chris to come up with what may well become one of the lasting training foundation stones of many future aviators.

I write this at 32,000 feet as the city of Bangkok slips below the nose of the Airbus 340 which I am fortunate to fly. I reflect, with gratitude, on my own training. It laid a solid foundation for my flying career, delivering the essential aspects of effective training: technical knowledge, practical application, and context learning, completed in an environment that encouraged structure and discipline, yet fostered a passion for aviation. What more can any aspiring pilot need or want?

It is encouraging to see that Chris has also looked over the wall to where most pilots eventually end up as their careers unfold, flying bigger and more complex aircraft. His book, while targeting the pilot just beginning his or her career, is not dumbed down to light aircraft operation. Many of the philosophies taught here are so fundamental and powerful that they will carry a pilot right through to retirement.

The book does not only include cockpit procedures. Two other essential training tools also accompany the what, namely the why and the how. These simple words have always formed the essential building blocks of flying training systems and will continue to do so. This book lays a solid foundation by extensively covering these aspects as well.

Enjoy reading the book, learn from it and use what you have learned. Just remember that you, the pilot, are solely responsible for the safe operation of the aircraft. Properly developed and learned philosophies and techniques will contribute in no small fashion in increasing your level of flight safety.

Mike Malherbe, BSc (Hons), MBL

Senior Training Captain: South African Airways

February 2006

Preface

The prospective pilot is spoiled for choice when looking for training texts. However, most focus on theoretical and practical aspects of air exercises, navigation, instrument flight and various other aspects of flying, but they never tell you what to do when you get into the cockpit. I have found that, despite my students’ relatively sound knowledge of the underlying principles of what we are trying to achieve in each exercise, they have no way of figuring out what to do in the aircraft, except by working through it with an instructor.

Learning by example is expensive. More importantly, though, the method leaves room for tremendous variability in training. Schools typically do not have the budget to allow them to train instructors intensively. Each instructor tends to pass on his or her own perspectives (and shortcomings!) to students. Instructors are also often busy and do not always have time to explain all the intricacies. Instructors are often entry-level professional pilots. Career instructors with substantial experience are few and far between. In fact, most flight schools are staffed by instructors barely out of their teens and their own training.

The system works. These instructors have a lot to offer a new student. However, many pilots later have to unlearn distorted perspectives and bad habits. It would be much better if they could learn more sensible techniques in the first place.

This book assembles some thoughts that underlie modern flight operations and training. I learned some perspectives late in my flying career. My passage would have been much easier if I had understood them earlier. I hope you benefit from these perspectives as much as I have. Perhaps, as you struggle to memorize that checklist, you will begin to see where it all comes from, and possibly even where it is all headed.

The book does not explain all the technical details. If you see something that you do not understand (such as oleos, shimmy dampers, cowl flaps or propeller pitch controls), you might find the relevant explanations in a good handbook or in the aircraft’s manuals. If you run out of reading matter, talk to your instructor about it.

Flight training continues to evolve. I would love to hear of new perspectives, comments and possibly even simple errors in this text. Please let me know.

Chris R. Burger

[e-mail]

Acknowledgments

The material in this book evolved over several decades. Mike Malherbe and Johan Olivier introduced me to the basic thinking in the 1980s. Over the years, ideas were honed in discussions with soundboards like Peter Clark, Louw van Zyl, and Pieter Roux. My instructors at Superb Flight Training, especially Pieter Roux, Andy Venter, and Timo Rebel provided considerable feedback and contributed new perspectives. Many of my students have contributed by demonstrating whether an approach works or not and often by actively contributing ideas. My colleagues in the South African Air Force Reserve gave me my first exposure to multi-crew operations with mature pilots. Mike Malherbe and Wessel van den Bergh read the manuscript and made suggestions, sharing the benefit of their vast experience in airline and helicopter operations respectively. Salome Coertze proofread several manuscripts. Gerda Rebel helped with pictures. Thanks — this work is as much yours as mine.

About the Author

Chris R. Burger is a Designated Pilot Examiner on airplanes and valiantly struggling to get there on helicopters. To pay the bills, he works as a researcher in Artificial Intelligence systems. For fun, he runs a flying school at a small airfield. His main interest in aviation is promoting a culture of safety and finding ways to teach pilots how to stay out of trouble. Since 1986, he has accumulated over 2,500 hours of instruction experience on over 80 aircraft models, ranging from ultralights to medium jets and helicopters. He has even managed to stay out of trouble most of the time.

He holds an Airline Transport Pilot License with instructor and test pilot ratings and type ratings on the C500, HS125 and Gulfstream II, and has accumulated over 3,500 hours on more than 100 aircraft models. He also holds a master’s degree in engineering and a degree in aviation management, and is pursuing a Ph.D. He was once a licensed Air Traffic Controller. In his spare time, he plays with his daughter Lisa, is involved in a Christian church, flies as an Air Force Reserve pilot, plays several musical instruments badly and occasionally indulges in a little amateur radio.

1

Overview

1.1 The Reason for this Book

This book provides a detailed description of what pilots do in aircraft cockpits. It covers operating procedures step-by-step and provides perspective on why the procedures are designed the way they are.

Over the years, I have discussed these procedures in depth with several dozen students. It is always time-consuming and, especially in the early stages, students do not have enough background knowledge to fully absorb everything. Therefore I hope this book will allow prospective pilots to mull over the procedures more closely and on their own time, before their instructors start drilling the stuff into them, as well as during training itself.

Keep coming back to this book regularly, and you will find that the procedures start making more sense as your own frame of reference expands.

1.2 The Contents

The book does not rigidly advocate one set of procedures. Instead, it lays a basis for understanding procedures and using them sensibly. Therefore, it is likely that this book can also be used with your existing checklist.

The book is divided into different topics:

Checklists: Different philosophies of their usage.

Normal procedures for airplanes: This section can be read as one continuous account of a typical flight in a light airplane. The different phases of flight are discussed in chronological order.

Abnormal procedures for airplanes: These situations are covered individually. They will seldom be encountered in normal flying and are mainly applicable to training or hazardous operations.

Emergency procedures for airplanes: Procedures for situations that require immediate action to prevent a disaster. Different situations (engine failure, fire, etc.) are discussed separately.

Helicopter operations: The issues unique to helicopters are discussed, using similar principles as those provided for airplanes in the previous sections.

Airmanship: Some ideas on how to become a better and safer pilot.

Definitions: All the abbreviations and buzzwords in the book you may not understand.

Appendices: The appendices include material about aircraft manuals, example airplane checklists and Morse code pointers.

1.3 How to Use this Book

It may prove useful to start by reading the entire text in a relaxed manner, before returning to work over each section in detail.

There is no need to learn the checklists in detail, except for the few that will be used in flight. On the ground, you will use flow checks to ensure that you do not miss anything. As long as you know exactly what to do when you get to the particular control or indicator, you will be fine.

Airplane students can skip Chapter 6.

Helicopter students should read Chapter 3 to get an idea of the thinking behind procedures and to understand the concept of testing, configuring and checking equipment, and the principles of panel-by-panel operations. They can briefly skim through Chapters 4 and 5 to get an idea of priorities. Details are not relevant. Chapter 6 contains helicopter-specific details, but the last chapters pertain equally to both airplane and helicopter pilots.

Experienced pilots should try to master the concept of flow checks and panel-by-panel operation, with particular emphasis on the differences between testing, configuring and checking. Chapters 2 and 3 are most useful in this regard.

Chapters 2 and 7 provide insights to help any pilot, even those who do not intend to modify their existing way of doing things.

2

The Use of Checklists

The term checklist is often used generically to describe any itemized aircraft operating procedures. Strictly speaking, though, many such procedures are not checklists.

Most airline and corporate operations use written procedures in the cockpit. They are used in two forms: Checklists and Action Lists.

Action lists are used to execute the procedures they refer to. They are also referred to as read-and-do lists. One would read Fuel boost pumps: On and then turn on the fuel boost pumps. In two-crew operations, one pilot reads the action list item (Fuel boost pumps: On) and the other one doing the work reads back (On) once the action is complete. When a high level of standardization has been achieved, the pilot reading the action list item can omit the response, as the other pilot should know the correct response from memory. Many airlines use action lists for all abnormal and some emergency situations.

Checklists are used differently. The work is done first, after which use of the checklist verifies that nothing has been missed. Many airlines use checklists for routine operations. The readback is typically slightly different, in that the call does not include the outcome. The call might be Fuel boost pumps and the readback is On once the status has been checked.

The way in which the work is first done is often by the so-called "Flow Check" method. The panels are scanned in a prescribed sequence, dealing with every switch or indicator when its position is reached. If the flow has been designed properly, the pilot knows that everything will be covered efficiently.

Checklists can be written or memorized. For single-crew operations, routine inflight checklists must be memorized, but emergency checklists must also be available in writing to ensure that a stressed pilot does not miss anything. Unfortunately, emergencies often require quick and decisive action, so the use of only written checklists may not be appropriate. For this reason, emergency checklists often contain parts framed in a box, which indicates they should be memorized. Once these memory items have been executed, the written checklist can be consulted. The pilot first checks that the memorized items have been correctly executed, then proceeds with the remainder of the written checklist.

For light aircraft, I advocate the use of flow checks and written checklists on the ground, with a combination of memorized action lists and written checklists in the air.

For light piston-engine airplanes, a generic checklist such as the one in Appendix C works well.

For more sophisticated airplanes such as turboprops