Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s)

• Why have SOP’s in the first place? Ditto for Drills and Checklists and Flows?
• What makes a good SOP? (Design your own and see)
• Practical: Use your airline’s procedures. But make sure you know why you know each item is there, and why those items are in that order.
• Make sure you can prioritize in an emergency

Personal Operating Procedures (Good Habits)

• If you are flying solo:
  • Talk to yourself
  • Explain what you are doing as you fly
  • If you can explain it to yourself, you can communicate to other crew members
  • Obey the Second Commandment: Thou shalt do it the same way every time
  • Get into a routine
  • Spread your workload and plan ahead – a lull is the time to do some housework

Crew Operating Procedures

• If you are a part of a crew:
  • Do exactly as above – except you’re talking to the other crew member(s) as well as to yourself
  • If you are Pilot Monitoring (PM) and move a switch or control, always say what you’re doing: Centre Pumps Off. Landing Lights On.
  • If you are Pilot Flying (PF) and you move a control, always say what you’re doing: Speed Brakes Retracted.
  • If you are Pilot Flying (PF) and you are using the Autopilot, always verbalize the FMA: Idle/Open Descent; Speed/Altitude/Heading,/Approach Armed. That way all three of you (!) know what’s going on.