You should be saving the past several posts to the mailing list by John
Wiley, Reid Fairburn and Greg Deen!! Include them in your course
development. This is relevant and appropriate to today's operations.
These operating practices and concepts are going to save your bacon during
descent, approach and landing which is where we have the most incidents and
accidents.
Something I use during my approach briefing is the question, "Do you have
any concerns or reasons why we should NOT be doing this approach?" I also
use the approach plate as a checklist for setting up the avionics as much
as possible during the approach brief, and before the intermediate approach
phase to reduce the required tasks during that time.
Even before the approach briefing comes the descent which usually requires
the use of a STAR. I brief the STAR as a part of the approach brief. That
enhances the SA during the descent so that an intended top of descent has
been preplanned and defined and communicated ahead of time as well as
crossing restrictions with speed and altitudes. Then during the actual
descent from top of descent and throughout the approach I "talk-along" with
all of the courses, altitudes, headings and speed changes before I preform
them to communicate my intent before and during each step, and ask for the
other crew members agreement. This keeps us focused and communication
appropriate to the phase of flight which enhances our team SA. Our
communication with the cabin crew has already taken place at 20 minutes out
and before descent so that we have all the information needed for the
inbound station before we need to call them.
Just a few personal techniques to through in the pot.
David L. Bair
Frontier Airlines