"Higher Stakes"

Boeing, Airbus and Airliner Development.

 by Owen Zupp.

The issues challenging the delivery schedule of the Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’ continues to fill the pages of aviation journals around the world. Since its earliest days there were supply chain issues, composite material problems and even the delamination and the deformation of body join points during a routine preflight stress test. The delays pushed timetables out the back door with the associated costs spiralling; more a bad dream than a ‘Dreamliner’ it seemed. Yet Boeing is not alone in this sea of woes. Aircraft development has a long history of difficult births and failed types. Perhaps Howard Hughes’ ‘Spruce Goose’ is an extreme example, but many of the issues that hobbled the Hughes H-4 Hercules are still being revisited today including materials, cost, and deadlines.

Just as Hughes was looking to break boundaries and be revolutionary in what his aircraft could achieve, the big players of Airbus and Boeing decided to step outside the square in their recent forays. In a battle of philosophies, Airbus went for size with the double-deck A380, while Boeing went down the path of composites in pursuit of savings and efficiency with the 787. Today, the A380 is now routinely cruising the airways; however it was not without significant development problems. Commencing with wiring issues, the A380 delivery schedule was also pushed back through a series of major announcements which saw their parent company (EADS) share price dive and the departure of a number of senior executives. Even following its delivery there were issues with the Rolls Royce engines and now the emergence of small cracks within its wings.

This is VERY big business and the stakes are enormously high. Even to giants of industry like Airbus and Boeing, the costs are astronomic and for that reason various components and contracts are outsourced to share the pain. The days of a production line starting with a bare frame and punching out a completed Flying Fortress at the far end of the building are gone. This is a matter of international logistics and project management and all the communication and co-ordination problems that inevitably come with it.

History has shown that a successful type can enjoy an extremely long life. The Douglas DC-3 was an ageless design and in the modern era the Boeing 737 has been in production for over forty years, with each new model squeezing just a little more from the old core design. The Lockheed C130 Hercules has evolved through new engines, propellers and avionics amongst other things, but is still providing a critical niche in both military and civilian service. These types have been built upon for decades whereas the A380 and 787 sought to be revolutionary.

Revolutions may well serve the greater good, but when they go wrong someone can end up losing their head. The United Kingdom had the first commercial jet airliner to reach production in the form of the de Havilland Comet. With the total loss of two aircraft and all on board, the Comet was grounded until the origin of the problem could be found. Simply put, the pressurisation cycles of the aircraft caused the corners of the square cabin windows to fail and catastrophically depressurise the aeroplane. Once the fault was discovered, the aircraft was fitted with the standard rounded windows we have today and the problem was seemingly overcome. However, in the midst of this both Boeing and Douglas took the advantage with the 707 and DC-8 respectively and Britain was relegated from world leader, destined never to regain the mantle.

To date, supersonic travel has been another costly frontier. Aerospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) formed a consortium to share the developmental burden of the Concorde. Undoubtedly a beautiful aeroplane, for one reason and another, it never returned assumed any dominance in the marketplace and limped graciously through its majestic career until the crash of Air France Flight 4590, at Gonesse, France spelt the beginning of the end. By comparison, the Boeing 2707 Supersonic Transport (SST) became a costly venture and was ultimately retired before a prototype ever flew.

Both Boeing and Airbus have stepped away from their safety net in the development of these latter types. They could have opted for continuing to revamp and rejig members of their existing family, but the world cried out for more. Both companies responded to the call with the hope of landing a dominant blow upon the other, but both have suffered a series of painful jabs. Who will ultimately win the fight may come down to simply who can best deliver as opposed to a battle of philosophies. The sliding timetables were initially and fortunately offset by the global downturn. In a period where most airlines were shelving capacity, a line of new aeroplanes on the doorstep could have presented a whole new series of problems. This was luck, not planning and the wheel is now starting to turn.

For the sake of the industry, success by both Airbus and Boeing would be the best outcome. It would not only guard against a monopoly, but it would leave two long term players continuing to push the other to new boundaries with the likes of Embraer knocking on the door. Governments will always push the development of military aerospace and much of this technology will flow on to the civil ranks, but for conceptual change in the airline industry, the marketplace must speak. And their voice is best heard by more than one company.

Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose remains preserved and on display in Oregan, USA. It sought to achieve new heights but eventually barely lifted out of ground effect. Today Airbus and Boeing confront their own challenges as they endeavour to mould the next phase of airline travel in their projected image. It will be costly and there will be pain along the way, but for the future of airline travel, failure is not an option.

Image by PAUL SADLER of AIRSERVICES AUSTRALIA.

Welcome Home Nancy Bird!

By Owen Zupp

As I drove along the perimeter of Sydney Airport on Sunday morning, the airfield was shrouded in fog. Undoubtedly the crew on board “Nancy Bird” were watching with interest as each weather forecast was uplinked to the A380, waiting for a split in the dry and wet bulb temperatures, or an increase in wind strength; something to indicate that the fog was about to dissipate. And dissipate it did. After 18 months away from home, VH-OQA made an uneventful arrival at Sydney Airport with its selected contingent of passengers on board. Touching down on Runway 16R and given the traditional ‘welcome home dousing’ by the Fire Services it was not just the end of an eight hour flight, but a sixteen month journey.

"On the Way Home."

Image by Gerard Frawley. AUSTRALIAN AVIATION MAGAZINE.

So ends a chapter not just in the QANTAS story, but the development of the Airbus A380 and the Rolls Royce engines. The successful landing of the A380 after its mid-air emergency has allowed the analysis of all that transpired from engines and systems to procedures and the human factor. As the development of aviation has shown over a century, a sound examination of any safety related event can reap tremendous benefits for future air travellers. Such is the case with the lessons learned from QF32.

As for “Nancy Bird Walton”, the A380 won’t rest on her laurels. As good as new, and quite possibly even better, she will take to the skies once more and do what she does best; carry her precious passengers to all corners of the globe.

Welcome home Nancy!

                                               Image by PAUL SADLER of AIRSERVICES AUSTRALIA.

      Check back here later today for the conclusion to "Flying the Airbus A380".

                              CLICK HERE for Part One!

"Flying the Airbus A380." (Part Two)

By Owen Zupp.

CLICK HERE for Part One.

Laws of Protection

A key Airbus philosophy is its ‘Laws of Protection’. A mantra to Airbus fly-by-wire crews, these laws incorporate a series of flight mechanisms that define the boundaries of the flight envelope and protect the crew from exceeding it in an unsafe manner. These protections are designed to prevent the aircraft being stalled, taken over-speed, over-banked or accelerated beyond the limiting speeds for flaps. The first example of this function occurred after takeoff when the normal act of flap retraction was ignored as the aircraft accelerated. On reaching 212kt, without any pilot input, the flaps begin the process of retraction to protect themselves from the stresses of excessive airspeed.

The progress of the retraction can be followed on a schematic display in front of the pilot. With the flaps retracted we climbed out over western Sydney and flew a series of general handling exercises. The intuitiveness of the side-stick was really beginning to settle in by this time. The ease was aided by a flight guidance system referred to as ‘The Bird’ that indicates the aircraft’s trajectory, independent of body angle. If you place ‘The Bird’ on the horizon bar, you will maintain level flight with a minimum of effort. In the turn, there is no need to hold in back pressure or trim the A380 until the bank angle reaches 33 degrees. Beyond this angle, back pressure is required to be held in as a reminder to the pilot that he is beginning to enter a phase of flight beyond the everyday boundaries. At 67 degrees of bank, the aircraft refuses the request to bank the aircraft any further regardless of control inputs.

At both ends of the speed envelope, the A380 also draws a line in the sand. Maintaining level flight, the thrust levers were closed and the aircraft decelerated towards its lowest safe speed (Vls), through the amber warning bars on the speed tape towards the red indicator of the stall speed. With the thrust levers still retarded to the stops, the auto-protection is initiated and the engines spool up to maximum thrust and will not permit you to stall the aircraft. If you had the speedbrakes extended, the system would have retracted these also. Once the aircraft senses the side-stick commanding an angle of attack below the critical angle, the pilot regains control of the aircraft. It all seems to straightforward.

Similarly, at the high speed end of the regime with thrust on and diving towards the red ‘barber’s pole’ of overspeed territory, the system allows a momentary overshoot into this realm before acting. Again, independent of thrust lever and side-stick position, the aircraft reduces thrust and pitches its nose up to return the A380 to a safe operating speed until the pilot’s actions once again indicate that he is heading in the right direction. In the early days of Airbus, these ‘Laws of Protection’ had been an area of some confusion for crews. Two decades have now passed and the logic they employ is better understood.

As a first timer I was suitably impressed, no more so than when I was encouraged to stall the aircraft on final approach in the landing configuration with the thrust levers closed and full aft and roll input. We should have fallen out of the sky, but despite my best efforts the A380 powered up, limited my bank angle and carefully set the pitch attitude to recover. I entered a climbing spiral to safety on short final and the rooftops below gradually became more distant. Did it feel natural? No. Was it amazing? Absolutely! Yet no system relieves the crew of their fundamental responsibility to ‘fly the aeroplane’ and respect that “Power + Attitude = Performance”.

When it goes wrong.

Repositioned at Sydney, we set about testing the A380’s engine out performance and handling with an engine failure on takeoff at V1 and the subsequent management of the event. As Rob Ford called “V1” the tell tale swing indicated that one of the Rolls-Royce Trent engines had failed. The rudder input to keep straight was minimal and when Rob called “Rotate”, the nose was easily pitched to a slightly lower than normal 10 degrees up and the climb away commenced at a very acceptable rate. The engine failure turned out to be an outboard engine, which naturally induces a greater yawing moment, yet only moderate control input was required by virtue of the large rudder on the A380’s enormous fin. The input needed for a failure of an inboard engine must be almost negligible, though this wasn’t experienced on the day.

At a safe altitude and with the autopilot engaged, we set about addressing the engine failure. The Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitoring (ECAM) pops up onto the central screens automatically in the event of a non-normal situation in conjunction with the appropriate system display. It leads the crew through the required checklists and actions in a very ‘user friendly’ manner as they set about resolving any failure that may occur – in our case the engine failure. It doesn’t replace the pilot’s need to remain unrushed and manage the situation, but what it does offer is the best available information to support the process in a very logical format.

With the problem addressed, we restarted the engine and made our approach to land back at Sydney. We took in some mandatory sightseeing over the harbour city and the visuals are just as you’d expect from a simulator of this generation, with the landscape not only accurately portrayed, but casting shadows as well. The approach itself was like much of the flight – very stable and controlled with minimal pilot inputs. In fact it all seemed to evolve very slowly as once again; the speeds for this vast aircraft are relatively low. As the runway loomed large in the window and the radar altimeter started to call out my height, I began to check the descent at about 40 feet as briefed by Rob. Looking ahead the aircraft settled onto the runway with a minimum of fuss and I reached down to deploy reverse thrust. Interestingly, by virtue of the lower speeds and braking system, the A380 only possesses reversers on the inboard engines. Even so, we pulled up after a surprisingly short ground roll. The fun had come to an end.

A Big Future

The arrival of the Qantas A380 in Australian skies created a decided buzz. I consider myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to experience a flight in the simulator of this amazing aircraft. There has been a great deal of thought in the design of the flight deck and systems to present a pilot-friendly workplace. Its quieter noise footprint is sure to be popular in an ever more environmentally conscious and curfewed community. For one Boeing pilot, the mystery of the ‘Laws of Protection’ were dispelled and replaced with a genuine sense of respect. This mammoth of the skies is equally at home at high altitudes or low approach speeds and is guided around the skies more with finesse than force. Its flight characteristics seem to ooze simplicity and are ably supported by its systems and redundancies. Even the side-stick is no longer a spectre. It is intuitive, simple and all about subtlety. For me there is absolutely no temptation to bend this side-stick past the limit of its gimbals.

Nancy Bird Walton Touches Down!

I have just received this image of "Nancy Bird" touching down from my friend and aviation journalist Andrew McLaughlin. It was too good not to share.

Thanks Andrew!

Click on the link below to follow "Nancy Bird" in real time with 'Flight Aware.

CLICK HERE to track VH-OQA on its way home.

Flying the Airbus A380. (Part One)

By Owen Zupp.

As I post this blog Captains Richard de Crespigny and David Evans will be preparing to complete the flight from Singapore to Sydney they started in November 2010. History now records that a catastrophic engine failure aboard the Airbus A380 ensured that the flight returned to Singapore where it landed safely. Now the time has come after many months, $139 million worth of repairs and 140,000 man-hours for the “Nancy Bird Walton” to come home.  All going to plan she should cross the fence at Sydney Airport around 9:20am tomorrow morning, closing a significant chapter in the aviation chronicles.

Personally, I have had cause to reflect on a day when the A380 had just arrived on the scene and there were far more questions than answers about this giant. Fortunately,  I was able to grab some insights very early in the piece. Here is that story.

                                                         **********

........Long before the first Qantas A380 touched down on Australian soil, its crews were well versed in the ways of the massive Airbus flagship. A pivotal reason for this state of readiness was their training in the state-of-the-art CAE full motion simulator.

Volunteering to climb aboard a flight simulator under the watchful eyes of two senior training captains on a rostered day off is not generally regarded as ‘normal’ behaviour for a commercial pilot. However, when the aircraft involved is the newly arrived Airbus A380 and one’s licence renewal isn’t on the line, this is a case of pleasure rather than pain. And the pleasure began from the moment Qantas Captains Andrew Foxton and Rob Ford opened the door to the massive flight deck of the A380 simulator. These dimensions are afforded by virtue of the actual flight deck being positioned ‘between levels’ with its floor space dictated by the width of the main deck below. It is so large in fact that the physical dimensions of the simulator’s flight deck had to be trimmed aft of the instructor station so that it would fit in a normal simulator bay. This sense of space is further enhanced by the wrap-around visuals that offer 200 degrees of viewing in the horizontal plane and 40 degrees vertically.

Access to the pilot’s seat is effortless without a low slung overhead circuit break panel to dent the forehead and the absence of a control yoke. The side-stick control opens up the area immediately in front of the pilot and this space is utilised by a fold away tray table and computer keyboard. To the side, the window frames extend quite low, much like on the Boeing 757, and offer a welcome addition to the peripheral vision. This, combined with the flight deck’s positioning, gives the A380 an outlook belying its behemoth dimensions. There is not the sense of towering above the runway as from its double-deck compatriot, the 747. Seating position is paramount. This is not purely as a function of outside perspective, but also ensuring that the pilot is comfortably seated with their ‘control’ arm correctly positioned on the armrest to apply the subtle touch to the control stick. From the outset, Rob Ford emphasises that this is an aircraft to be flown by means of “adjustment” rather than large inputs.

The flight panel and centre console speaks loudly of 21st century technology. In addition to the large screens that have replaced dials on all modern types, there are keyboards, mouse buttons and track balls that interface with the multi-function and navigation displays. There is a point and click facility that is more reminiscent of a computer than an aeroplane, but is thoroughly instinctive and logical to use. Settled in, with Andrew Foxton busily programming at the aft instructor station, the time has come to start the four Rolls Royce Trent 972 engines and see what the A380-800 offers when free of Terra Firma.

Flight of the A380.

Lined up on Sydney’s Runway 16 Right for a 560 tonne takeoff weight, Rob Ford enters the key data and the most striking factor is the relatively low speeds for such a large aeroplane at maximum weight. Spanning almost 80 metres, the huge surface area of the A380 wing employs new design concepts and manufacturing processes to ensure that the wing is as ‘clean’ and efficient as possible. This efficiency translates not only into lower takeoff speeds, but compared to the 747-400 it uses 17 per cent less runway to get airborne.

Cleared for takeoff, the thrust levers are brought up to initially stabilise power at 30 per cent. Yes, per cent. These Rolls-Royce engines have for the first time dispensed with engine pressure ratios (EPRs) as a power setting and employed the ‘metric’ equivalent. With power stabilised, the thrust levers are advanced through a series of detented ‘gates’ that are characteristic of Airbus aircraft. Set at maximum power the engines modulate to maintain the thrust with no corresponding movement of the thrust lever beyond its setting in the correct gate. Rumbling along the centreline, the A380 simulator provides all of the sensory cues to reinforce that this aircraft is at its maximum weight. The time to reach flying speed is further lengthened by the strong philosophy of de-rated takeoffs that exist with the type; even at such high weights. The reasons for this are diverse and range from lower maintenance costs to a reduced airport noise footprint. The lower thrust equates to lower fuel flows, lower exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs) and limits the significant gyroscopic loads on the main compressor shafts during rotation. These factors all equate to wear and tear and ultimately cost.

Only 10kt separate V1 and rotate and I tentatively pitch the aircraft towards 12 degrees nose up, note a positive rate of climb and call for the wheels to be raised. It becomes immediately apparent that Rob and Andrew are right on the money in cautioning me against over-controlling. The aircraft requires only small inputs and a degree of anticipation that you would expect of an aircraft of this size and weight. Now is an appropriate time to confess to having had some trepidation about the side-stick. Having only known the Boeing yoke for nearly twenty years in, my sidestick record was not good. One attempt at a friend’s Microsoft Flight Simulator after a Christmas barbeque that went rather badly and resulted in me wanting to bend the stick past the limits of its gimbals.

Fortunately, the real thing is tremendously intuitive and easy to fly. Quite simply, within minutes you develop a feel for the control inputs and the sense of ease in steering this enormous airliner. The fundamental challenge in adapting to the side-stick stemmed from the need to input only enough control to achieve the desired attitude and then RELEASE IT. There is no need to hold the control input in through a manoeuvre, you simply set it and then relax the input to neutral. The A380 will automatically trim and hold that attitude until you input the sidestick again to set a new attitude. As Rob Ford stated from the outset, you “adjust” this aircraft around the sky. Less is definitely more......

For the latest on the flight home, here is an update from my friends at Australian Aviation Magazine.

(Check back here for the conclusion to 'Flying the Airbus A380'.)

Safe Travels “Nancy Bird.”

By Owen Zupp

It’s curious how things work out sometimes.

In the same week that marked a hundred years since the sinking of the Titanic, a gargantuan of the twenty-first century is set to rise from the ashes. Like the Titanic, the Airbus A380 is a marvel of technology in its time, boasting dimensions that still leave us in amazement as it rumbles down the runway. And yet, when the QANTAS A380’s ‘iceberg’ loomed ahead, its crew were able to limp the crippled machine home amidst a maze of systems failures and warning flags. Unfortunately, the Titanic did not possess the same level of automation, redundancies and support as it floundered on the Atlantic that icy night and its fate is now cemented in history.

So often the sinking of the Titanic is referred to as a prime example of nature reminding man of his arrogance and faith in technology. To me that is all a little too cliché. Since we emerged from the caves, carved flint and invented the wheel, humankind has strived to venture beyond the horizon by the most impressive means available. Sure, the Industrial Revolution saw an extremely accelerated rate of development but the spirit that drove it was as old as time itself. Only the tooling and resources had really changed.

In all fields where man steps beyond the safety of his familiar borders there is risk and danger. In retrospect, the failure to provide adequate emergency equipment aboard the Titanic proved a tragic mistake and in the wake of the accident the rules were changed. Such is the history of all forms of transport where lessons are unfortunately often learned from unspeakable losses. Aviation is no different and the last century of flight is filled with accidents that have led to change. In the wake of QF32’s mid-air emergency over Singapore, there was fortunately no loss of life a good many lessons were still learned.

As aviators, QANTAS Flight 32 offers a number of reminders that regardless of the scale of the aircraft, the prime task at hand is to fly the aeroplane. When the engine exploded and systems dropped off-line, there was less and less of the remarkable technology available to the crew. In fact, some fairly core flight systems had ceased to operate as well. As such the crew called upon their experience to prioritise and assess the issues as they arose, but throughout I would suspect that controlling the aircraft, remaining clear of terrain and monitoring their fuel stocks would have been premium. This is pertinent whether you are at the helm of an Airbus, Boeing or a Beechcraft.

Even when the aircraft found the relative safety of the earth once more, one engine could not be shut down and the safety implications for an evacuation were obvious. Consequently, both the flight and cabin crew were managing this emergency right up until the last passenger was safe and the aircraft was secure. As an old aviator told me very early on in my training, “The flight isn’t over until the aeroplane is tied down, or in the hangar.”

Inevitably the ‘coffee room quarterbacks’ emerged from the shadows and later dissected the crew’s actions from the comfort of their lounge chairs and espoused wonderful solutions with the heroism that is indicative of hindsight. Yet for anyone who has been under the very real pressure of a critical emergency will attest, when the pulse rate elevates even the best simulator replication cannot quite capture the same atmosphere and stress; let alone the coffee room. Amusingly, for all of the armchair critics, no-one is a harsher critic than a pilot undertaking self analysis and undoubtedly the QF32 crew wrestled with aspects of the emergency after the event. But the bottom line is that they returned the aircraft relatively intact with no loss of life and all importantly; THEY WERE THERE not the critics. Well done, I reckon.

As the crew readies themselves and VH-OQA awaits at Singapore, the drama of QF32 cannot be escaped. However, as always in fields of human endeavour we must positively learn from the past and not negatively dwell on it. Man will continue to push new frontiers, be they into space or along well worn routes in more modern craft; it is our nature. And before that first step forward there will be a glance behind to check that some tragic aspect of history is not about to be repeated, but once that has been addressed progress will continue. This QANTAS A380 proudly bears the name of Nancy Bird Walton, a pioneering aviatrix who forged her own unique path in aviation history. I had the pleasure of meeting Nancy on a number of occasions and I can’t help but think that she’ll be casting an approving eye down from the heavens as her namesake wends its way home.

We shall never forget the lessons from the Titanic and the tragedy suffered as it plunged to the depths, nor shall we mark time. Humanity will continue to challenge itself and pay due respect to the domains of land, sea and air that it seeks to navigate. However, we will never conquer these greater beings, but must be satisfied to merely achieve safe passage through their vast realms. This can only be achieved by bravely going forward while listening to the voices of those who have gone before.

Safe travels “Nancy Bird.”

(Check back here for updates on the A380's flight home.)

"A Long Day's Night."

A QANTAS Airbus A380 exits the runway at Melbourne, Australia after the long haul across the Pacific Ocean from Los Angeles.

"QANTAS Pilots. An insight."

"Well Chosen Words." (Part Two)

CLICK HERE for Part One.

Say What? (continued)

......Last, but by no means least, comes the consideration of emergency contingencies. This may include an engine failure on the runway, or after take-off. What landing options lie ahead should the need arise and at what point and height does a return to land at the airfield become a possibility? Significantly, what are the vital actions and critical airspeed to maintain in this situation? Discussing the emergency situation lastly leaves those key points freshest in your mind should the added pressure of a problem arise. Obviously, the emergency plan will vary depending on such factors as the number of remaining engines in the case of a failure and the weather in the area. Hence, look at your plan realistically.

At the other end of the flight, the descent and approach phase is worth briefing and again it is best to follow a relevant order. Ideally, such a brief should be completed well in advance of commencing the descent. Start with the potential threats for the descent and in the terminal area. Terrain is always worth considering as a threat when you’re descending towards it. Review the ATIS, QNH and prevailing weather conditions as this will also provide some insight into the conditions you are likely to be confronted with. Review the descent profile in terms minimum safe altitudes and circuit joining procedures, before considering the approach to land. Revisit the flap setting to be used, the approach speed, the runway length available and where you anticipate turning off to taxi to the parking area. Importantly, examine the go-around situation. How will it be flown, what fuel will be remaining and what options are available in the event of a missed approach? What's my fuel status and options should I 'go-around'? Flying the missed approach should be thought of in terms of the actual aircraft handling as well as the flight path to be flown. With top of descent to the potential missed approach covered, pilot and aircraft are prepared to start heading down and reunite with the runway ahead.

Multi-engine aircraft and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) offer more variables. On take-off, you are not likely to make a visual return to land if the cloud base is 200 feet above ground level, so setting up the navaids and having the relevant approach plate at the ready may be prudent in this instance. However, there is no need to brief this approach at this time. Conversely, when considering an instrument approach prior to descent, it is very relevant to thoroughly brief the approach and airfield lighting as well as confirming the readiness of the navigation aids. The weather at the minima also obviously plays a critical role in IFR and should be assessed to give some indication of what will be seen should ‘visual reference’ be attained right at the minima. For instance, in a strong crosswind and lowered visibility, looking straight ahead might lead to not sighting the runway which is now relatively offset.

Regardless, of the relative simplicity or complexity of the operation, the briefing should remain practical, ordered and relevant to the phase of flight. Many commercial flight providers will define the content of the briefing in their ‘Standard Operating Procedures’, but for the individual, the choice remains in their hands.

Speak Up.

As a point of technique, briefings should be spoken out aloud. This is obvious in the multi-crew scenario as the information is there to be shared. Equally importantly, the briefing offers the opportunity for other crew members to raise questions and point out any omissions. Through an open briefing technique, all of the flight crew are able to be ‘on the same’ page and not guessing the next move of the pilot flying.

In single pilot operations, there are also definite benefits in briefing out aloud. It may seem strange at first, but the spoken word will allow the content to also be absorbed aurally and not merely through the ‘mind’s ear’. This provides another layer of consolidation to cement the details in the mind. That is not to say that the briefing needs to be yelled out, but a quiet review to oneself will serve the briefing better. When flying with passengers, obviously keep the audio level down as words like ‘engine failure’ can tend to alarm them. However, if simply taking a friend for a flight in the front seat, explain to them what you’re doing. In much the same way as you explain the emergency exits to them, reviewing your plans is a case of preparing for every situation. Passengers will often be reassured by such thoroughness, as this is in line with briefings on an airliner.

Supporting briefings, pilots may also choose to have a simple check-list to assure that they have covered the content. Additionally, there is a real benefit to be derived from ‘touch-drills’ for such manoeuvres as an engine failure after take-off. Point at the best glide speed, touch those points associated with the emergency and the flap lever in unison with your words. It is a quick but very effective means of reviewing a very critical manoeuvre. Ultimately, the technique adopted will be the one with which the pilot is most comfortable and most likely to recall from day to day. Keeping the format constant will assist in guarding against omissions, maintaining a flow and keeping it concise.

Well Chosen Words.

Briefings are a mandatory component of standard operating procedures in airline operations. However, they need not remain the domain of multi-crew flight decks, nor are the benefits limited to heavy jets. Every pilot in every cockpit stands to gain from an enhanced level of mental preparedness. Keeping the content of briefings concise, ordered and relevant will allow critical points to be refreshed in a pilot’s memory without the pressure of a critical flight phase bearing down upon them.

Briefings are a relatively simple task, which when practised will become a small but vital tool in the pilot’s kit bag. They are not a major burden upon time or resources, but in the heat of the moment a successful outcome may well result from a few well chosen words.