I need your advice about cockpit conversation protocols

[CapMason]

I'm researching an upcoming article for FlightSim.Com about cockpit conversation and proper callout protocols for both general and commercial aviation. I could use some help finding the right source material for this. I need to find a DVD (or audio, VHS, whatever) or even printed docs that would cover all the proper cockpit conversation procedures for operating an aircraft. What I am not looking for is anything that deals with ATC radio calls. These conversations are for operating the aircraft, not talking to ATC.

I realize that commercial aircraft operation, where a pilot and co-pilot are mandatory, is going to be different from general aviation, where the pilot is often flying solo or at least without a co-pilot.

The article I'm working on would cover conversations around checklists, and all other operational procedures. In the case of GA, just imagine if you did have a virtual co-pilot. Think of the conversation as the virtual co-pilot equivalent of running through the checklists in FS2004. What's the real dialog like? That's what this inquiring mind wants to know.

When a pilot and co-pilot are communicating through a checklist, or when the pilot issues an order to the copilot for a control action, what's the confirmation reply the co-pilot returns. Or, in solo GA ops, what would your virtual co-pilot say? What's going through your head as you run through the checklists and flight procedures?

For example, Pilot says, "Gear up". When the co-pilot raises the gear, what does he/she say to confirm that the order was received and accomplished? "Roger, gear up" or "Copy that, gear up" or "gear up, check"? Or something else?

I'm looking for the products or reference materials that will show me the correct and proper conversational terms. And I realize they will vary depending on the action performed. For example, the rejoinder for raising the gear or setting the flaps may be different from arming the autothrottle or adjusting the autopilot heading and altitude holds.

Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Plus, you'll be rewarded with a killer article when this is finished.

You can respond in this forum thread or email your tips, links, whatever to capmason@flightsim.com

And, for any of you real world pilots out there, GA or commercial; if you'll work with me on this to smooth out the real world dialogs -- I can reward you with a free first Class Memebership upgrade (or extension) to FlightSim.Com as a token of our appreciation for your help.

[lnuss]

I can't speak for airline operations, but within GA, there is no set dialog, unless it would be something specific to an individual company operation or something that, say, a King Air crew picked up at, maybe, Flight Safety training seminars or training from the manufacturer.

On occasion, I've elected to ask a passenger to read the checklist to me, and my response has no actual standard, but would likely be something like:

PSGR: Controls free and correct.
ME: Controls are free and move correctly.
PSGR: Master switch ON.
ME: Master is ON.
PSGR: Magnetos on LEFT.
ME: MAG on LEFT.
PSGR: Mixture RICH.
ME: Mixture is RICH.
PSGR: Press starter button. Release when engine starts.
ME: (after engine start) Engine started, oil pressure is up (this may force the passenger to skip the next item - or duplicate it, but I have this habit, you see...)

The main purpose for doing this is to let the passenger feel more like an actual participant in the flight, and a chance for the passenger to learn a little bit. It also forces me to maintain checklist discipline.

When I fly with a student, though, I expect the student to go through the checklist as if no one else is in the aircraft.

Likely others will have different views and/or experiences, so you may get quite a variety.

[MrChips]

Whenever I am flying with another pilot, I usually have the PNF (pilot not flying) operate the radios and command the checklists, while the PF (pilot flying) flys the aircraft (obviously :-)) and responds to the checklists.

I should elaborate on the challenge-response checklist. just about every airline in the world does it this way, where the PNF challenges a system or condition, and the PF will respond, altering the system or condition according to the checklist. Here's an example:

PNF: Master?
PF: ON

PNF: Mags?
PF: Start

PNF: Oil pressure?
PF: GREEN

In this format, the PNF ensures that the PF responds correctly, and verifies that the condition in the checklist is met.

Now, here's things can get interesting. On takeoff in a complex aircraft, the PF says "Set takeoff power" and brings up the throttles to more or less the proper position. Then, he/she removes their hand from the throttles and the PNF fine tunes the setting, saying "takeoff power set" when that is complete, and then the PNF removes their hand from the throttle. Then, the PF puts their hand back on the throttles.

[CapMason]

Thanks. This is excellent! More, more. If you care to go through it.

Even the internal monolog of going through the flight ops and checklists on a solo flight helps. The FS2004 checklists are so limited in that respect that I want to do an article creating dialogs as they actually occur, even if they occur internally.

[CapMason]

Thank you very much for this.

I would love it if we could go through the FS2004/2002 checklists (probably only a few of them in FS2004 since 2002 is largely the same) and create a dialog around the modified FS2004 way of flying. Would anyone care to do that with me? It might go something like this:

PUSHBACK (if parked at a gate)



[ ] Pushback (fill in the rejoinder here)


BEFORE START

[ ] Parking Brake
SET

ENGINE START

Press CTRL+E to initiate engine autostart sequence.
(now this is right from FS2004 and it's very lame. So we would go through the FS2004 steps for starting this aircraft which is the 737-400 in this example)

AFTER START

[ ] Engine Start Switches CHECK GEN
[ ] Pitot Heat ON
[ ] De-ice (what to say?)
[ ] Engine Start Levers CHECK IDLE
[ ] Lights (what to say when turning them on?)
[ ] Autopilot SET and OFF
[ ] Instruments CHECKED
[ ] Autobrake Switch RTO (Rejected Takeoff)
[ ] Avionics Switch ON
[ ] Avionics

Et cetera...

[Khirsah13]

http://www1.faa.gov/avr/afs/acs/120-71.pdf There's an Advisory Circular listing what the FAA thinks should be standard operating procedure. Lots of callout-type stuff in there.

As for myself, it depends what type of aircraft I'm flying, and even who I am flying with. The most callout-intensive situation that I can think of is when I'm flying with my friend Tim in the Arrow IV. A typical trip around the pattern would go something like this:

Announce takeoff, taxi onto runway, slowly roll in full power, release brakes.
PF: "75 kts, rotate."
PNF: "Positive rate."
PF: "No runway left, gear up."
PNF: "Gear coming up...gear up."
PF: "500 feet, 25 squared."
MAP set to 25 in, RPM set to 2500, announce and turn crosswind and downwind. Abeam the numbers:
PF: "Below 130, gear down."
PNF: "Gear coming down...1, 2, 3 green."
PF: "Three green."
PF: "Power back, slow to 90."
PNF: "Gas."
PF: "Fuel pump on."
PNF: "Undercarriage."
PF: "Gear down, 3 green."
PNF: "Mixture."
PF: "Mixture rich."
PNF: "Prop."
PF: "Full forward on final."
PNF: "Lights."
PF: "Landing light on."
PF: "Below 105, flaps 10.......flaps 25."
Announce and turn base:
PF: "Flaps extended."
Announce and turn final:
PNF: "Gear."
PF: "Down and locked, 3 green."
PNF: "Prop."
PF: "Full forward."
Land and clear runway:
PNF: "Flaps up."
PF: "Fuel pump off."
PNF: "Transponder to standby."
PF: "Landing light off."

Of course, in the end, this is just cause we're a buncha geeks flying a plane with more levers to pull and buttons to push. In my experience, callouts are the exception rather than the rule in GA piston operations.

[metro752]

And folks, you can see the good old GUMP check in the previous post.

Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture, and Prop/Power

In a 152,
G-GAS: make sure the fuel valve handle is down allowing fuel to flow.

U-Undercarriage: Pump the brakes to make sure theres fluid in them so when you land you don't have dead brakes.

M-Mixture: should be full rich

P-Power: make sure you have the carb heat on, and are at or currently reducing power 1700RPM. (I say 1700RPM, abeam the numbers, and assuming you are on Downwind when you do your GUMP check)

[lnuss]

Well, in the Super Cub (the one in my sig pic), after completing the preflight and getting seated, the combined prestart and pretaxi checklist would go something like this, with the unstated but necessary delay after each "challenge" while I actually perform each item, then reply (P=Passenger, M=Me):

[ol]
[li]P: Seatbelts fastened.
M: Seatbelts fastened, check yours.
Be sure you get the report of fastened from the passenger.

[li]P: Controls Free and correct.
M: Controls are free and move correctly.

[li]P: Radio, transponder and electrical switches OFF.
M: All electrical off.

[li]P: Mixture RICH.
M: Mixture is rich.

[li]P: Carb heat COLD.
M: Carb heat is cold.

[li]P: Prime, four strokes if engine cold.
With cold engine:
M: Engine primed.
With warm engine:
M: No prime needed.

[li]P: Magneto switch on LEFT.
M: Mag on left.
This is done because the left mag on this aircraft is an impulse mag, which makes for easier starting.

[li]P: Throttle cracked 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
M: Throttle set.

[li]P: Brakes set.
M: Brakes set.

[li]P: Master switch ON (up position).
M: Master on.

[li]P: Strobe light ON.
M: Strobe on.

[li]P: Clear propeller.
Visually look around the area to be sure no one is in the way, then open window, if closed, and yell out the window:
M: Clear Prop!

[li]P: Press starter switch, release at engine start.
Press starter button (it's not on the mag switch). The engine starting is obvious enough that no reply is really needed.

[li]P: Magneto switch to BOTH.
M: Mags on both.

[li]P: Oil pressure check.
M: Pressure is up.
If pressure is not up within 30 seconds on a cold day, less on a warm day, then you must shut down and find out what the problem is before proceeding.

[li]P: RPM to 1,000.
M: RPM set.

[li]P: Mixture leaned for taxi.
This is needed at higher altitudes, such as Denver, to help keep the engine running smoothly and, with 100LL in an 80 octane engine, it minimizes plug fouling and excessive carbon buildup, also.
M: Mixture leaned.

[li]P: Ammeter check.
M: Ammeter checked.
Since this aircraft has a generator, rather than an alternator, it may be discharging a little, but best chance of a charge at low RPM is before turning on electric stuff.

[li]P: Intercom ON.
M: Intercom on -- can you hear me OK?
Expect a positive answer before proceeding.

[li]P: NAV lights as needed.
Daytime:
M: NAV lights not needed.
Nighttime:
M: NAV lights on.

[li]P: Radio ON.
M: Radio on.

[li]P: Transponder to STANDBY, code 1200.
M: Transponder is in standby and 1200.

[li]P: Altimeter set to field elevation.
M: Altimeter set.

[li]P: Test brakes.
Add a touch of power to get the aircraft rolling slowly, then apply both brakes. If not OK, it's time to shut down and get them fixed.
M: Brakes OK.
[/ol]

At this point you are ready to taxi. Later I'll provide the pretakeoff checklist. Items 1, 2, 14, 18 and 23 will be checked again before takeoff. In particular, item 2 is done before start to avoid having to taxi back and fix things if you find you've goofed. It is repeated during pretakeoff check because it is horribly important -- after all, you cannot pull off to the side of the road when things don't work.

[CapMason]

This is excellent. Thanks for the help. Keep it coming.

[MrChips]

Another thing to remember is the concept of a "sterile cockpit", meaning there is no conversation other than what is necessary to fly the aircraft. The airlines use this generally below 10,000 feet, and I generally use it in my training if I'm operating into or out of a busy airport (especially if its uncontrolled)...this allows me to concentrate on flying the aircraft and ensuring that I don't miss anything over the radio.