Six practical habits
Know the gate
Use the operator’s exact stabilisation criteria and required callouts.
Build energy early
Manage descent, speed, configuration and landing distance before final approach.
Monitor trends
Do not wait for a limit when the approach is clearly moving away from stability.
Call deviations clearly
State the parameter, magnitude and required response without soft language.
Go around promptly
Execute when policy, conditions or crew judgement require it.
Rebuild the next plan
After the manoeuvre, stabilise, communicate and choose the next safe option.
Stability is a continuing condition
Passing a gate does not guarantee a safe landing. The approach must remain within the operator’s criteria, with the aircraft correctly configured, on the intended path and at a manageable energy state.
Use trend monitoring. A rapidly increasing tailwind, unstable speed, excessive sink, late runway change or incomplete landing configuration can make a technically recoverable approach operationally poor.
Remove negotiation from the decision
The crew briefing should identify the applicable gate, mandatory go-around triggers and who makes each call. Standardisation prevents a time-critical safety decision from becoming a cockpit debate.
A monitoring call must be unambiguous. If the response does not restore the required margin, apply the operator’s go-around policy.
Fly the manoeuvre you trained
On initiation, set the required thrust and attitude, verify modes, follow the published or cleared path and manage configuration in the approved sequence. Monitor for high workload and unexpected acceleration or altitude capture.
Once safe, resist rushing back. Confirm fuel, weather, runway, technical status and crew readiness before deciding whether to re-approach, hold or divert.
- 01Preparecriteria, threats, energy plan and missed approach
- 02Monitorpath, speed, configuration, sink and landing conditions
- 03Decidecall the deviation and apply the go-around policy
- 04Recoverfly, communicate and rebuild the next safe plan
Operational summary only. Apply the current approved procedure and see references below.
Final flight-deck prompt
Final flight-deck promptIf the approach deteriorates in the next thirty seconds, which exact condition will trigger the go-around and who will call it?
