Briefing IFR Procedures

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.

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. For example, a traditional briefing often doesn’t describe how you’ll navigate the segments of an approach. 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.

Watch this video to learn how can you develop an efficient, effective IFR briefing so that both you and the airplane are in the groove when the runway appears ahead through the mist.