Operational Procedures

Operational procedures are the standard ways of doing things – from the walk-around before the flight to what to do when the engine stops. Doing every flight the same way, with checklists, means you can concentrate on the unexpected when it happens.

1. Before the flight

• Pre-flight planning: weather (METAR, TAF, charts), NOTAMs, route and airspace, fuel, mass and balance, take-off and landing performance, alternates.
• Documents: licence and medical, aircraft documents, flight plan if required.
• Walk-around: fuel quantity and contamination (drain a sample: water sinks to the bottom), oil level, tyres and brakes, control surfaces free and correct, pitot cover removed, no damage, no ice or frost on the wings.
• Passenger briefing: seat belts, doors, emergency exits, no smoking, what to do in an emergency.

2. Using checklists

There are two styles:

• Read and do: read an item, do it – used for the before-start checks and in emergencies when there is time.
• Do and verify (flow then check): do the actions from memory in a set flow, then read the checklist to confirm nothing was missed – used in airliners.

Some emergency actions are memory items that must be done before you can reach the checklist (for example, after an engine failure on take-off).

3. On the ground

Taxiing

• Walking pace, test the brakes as soon as you move, and position the controls for the wind (into-wind aileron up, for example).
• Always know where you are; ask for progressive taxi if unsure. Never cross a runway or a holding point without a clearance.

Signs and markings

Sign	Meaning
White text on red	Mandatory: runway holding position, no entry – do not pass without a clearance.
Yellow text on black	Location: the taxiway or runway you are on.
Black text on yellow	Direction: where the taxiways go, with an arrow.

• Runway designators are the magnetic direction divided by ten and rounded: a runway pointing 261° is runway 26. Parallel runways add L, C or R.
• The runway holding position marking is two solid and two dashed yellow lines across the taxiway: the solid lines are on your side – stop there.
• A displaced threshold (white arrows) may be used for take-off and roll-out, but not for landing.

Run-up

Before take-off: engine run-up (magnetos, carburettor heat), instruments set, fuel on the fullest tank, flaps set, trim set, controls full and free, doors and harnesses secure, transponder on, and a departure briefing: runway, initial heading and altitude, and what you will do if the engine fails.

4. The aerodrome traffic circuit

• The standard circuit is left-hand (all turns to the left) unless the chart says otherwise, flown at about 1,000 ft above the aerodrome.
• Legs: upwind (climb-out), crosswind, downwind (parallel to the runway, opposite direction), base, final.
• Report "downwind" abeam the threshold and "final" at about 4 NM or as instructed; complete the pre-landing checks on downwind.

5. Wake turbulence

Every wing makes two wingtip vortices that sink and spread behind it. Behind a heavy, slow, clean aircraft (just after take-off or on approach) they can roll a light aircraft out of control.

• Aircraft are grouped into categories (Light, Medium, Heavy and Super for the A380); ATC applies a time or distance gap behind heavier aircraft.
• Taking off after a heavy: lift off before its rotation point and climb above its path. Landing after one: stay above its approach path and touch down after its touchdown point.
• Vortices last longest in light winds; a light crosswind can hold one over the runway.

6. Emergencies

Engine failure after take-off

1. Lower the nose immediately to keep flying speed – the best glide speed.
2. Choose a landing area ahead, within about 30° either side. Below about 1,000 ft, do not try to turn back to the runway: the steep turn costs height and speed, and many pilots stall attempting it.
3. If time allows: fuel off, ignition off, mayday call, doors unlatched, land as slowly as possible.

Forced landing without power (from height)

Best glide speed, choose a field (into wind, long enough, no obstacles, flat, no livestock), try a restart (fuel, mixture, carb heat, magnetos), mayday call and squawk 7700, then fly a planned circuit to the field. The common memory aid is ABCD: Airspeed, Best field, Checks, Declare.

Fire

• Engine fire: fuel off, throttle closed, cabin heat off, mixture cut-off, forced landing.
• Electrical fire (smell of burning insulation): master switch off, use the extinguisher if needed, ventilate the cabin once the fire is out.

7. Fuel reserves

Under EASA rules for private VFR flights you must land with at least 30 minutes of fuel at normal cruise by day, and 45 minutes by night. Add taxi fuel, a contingency and enough to reach an alternate if one is needed. Running out of fuel is still a leading cause of light-aircraft accidents – and it is completely avoidable.

8. Radio failure

Check the volume, squelch, frequency and headset; try another frequency or radio. If it really has failed: squawk 7600. In VMC: keep flying VMC, land at the nearest suitable aerodrome, join the circuit carefully and watch the tower for light signals.

9. Other operations

• Hot and high airports (Amman, Taif, Sana'a): longer take-off runs and weaker climb – check the performance charts.
• Bird strikes: most happen below 3,000 ft near airports; reduce speed in areas of known bird activity.
• Wind shear on approach: be ready to go around with full power.

Flying it at Levant

Use the checklists for your aircraft on every flight, brief the departure and approach, and treat simulator failures as real. Keep your landing fuel above the final reserve on the OFP; vmsACARS records the flight, and the landing analysis on your PIREP shows how well you flew the approach.

Check yourself

1. What does a red sign with white text at a taxiway mean? A mandatory instruction – runway holding position or no entry; do not pass without a clearance.
2. Which way do you turn in a standard circuit? Left.
3. Your engine stops at 400 ft after take-off. What do you do? Lower the nose, best glide speed, land ahead within about 30° either side – do not turn back.
4. Landing after a heavy jet, where should you touch down? After its touchdown point, staying above its path.
5. What is the minimum final reserve for day VFR (EASA)? 30 minutes at cruise.

Simulation training material. Always follow your aircraft's flight manual and the procedures of the aerodrome you fly at.