Six briefing priorities
Start with current sources
Use the AIP, charts, NOTAMs, weather and company airport brief.
Name today’s threats
Avoid copying a generic reputation into every arrival.
Link each threat to an action
A hazard without a trigger and response is only trivia.
Prioritise the top three
Too many warnings dilute attention.
Brief gates and escape options
Define when to discontinue, hold, divert or ask for help.
Update after change
Runway, weather, MEL, ATC or fuel changes can reorder the risks.
Replace airport folklore with evidence
Stories from other crews can suggest what to investigate, but they may be old, aircraft-specific or missing context. Confirm every operational point against a current controlled source.
Separate permanent features—terrain or layout—from temporary conditions such as works, outages, flow restrictions and weather.
Use a threat-action format
For each priority threat, state the cue that will make it relevant, the preventive action, the monitoring method and the recovery option.
Example: ‘Complex night taxi; if either pilot loses position certainty, stop before the next holding point and confirm with chart, signs and ATC.’
Keep the brief usable
A good brief is short enough to remember and specific enough to change behaviour. Put supporting detail in the airport pack rather than reading it all aloud.
End with shared gates: fuel minimums, stabilisation criteria, crosswind limits, visibility triggers and who will call for a go-around or stop.
- 01Gathercontrolled sources and operator-specific restrictions
- 02Rankthe three threats most relevant to this flight
- 03Connectcue, action, monitoring and escape option
- 04Updaterebuild the priorities whenever conditions change
Operational summary only. Apply the current approved procedure and see references below.
Final flight-deck prompt
Final flight-deck promptWhich three threats could alter our flight path today, and what exact cue will trigger each response?
Keep developing
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