"How-to" guide for what you should be doing in the cockpit during each
phase of flight!
Written by an experienced instructor and pilot examiner, Cockpit
Procedures provides a solid
understanding of the underlying principles for, and detailed descriptions of the
checklists and routines used in many flight schools. Readers will find it
contains a practical definition of airmanship, and covers what good habits to
develop, effective workload management, and even what you should have in your
flight bag. Cockpit Procedures is
about cockpit actions and thinking, giving readers the rationale behind common
procedures that are standard practice in the training environment and in the
airlines.
Both airplanes and helicopters are covered, delivering the essential aspects
of effective training - technical knowledge, practical application and context
learning. Cockpit Procedures targets
the pilot just beginning his/her career, yet many of the philosophies and
practical techniques taught here are so fundamental and powerful they will carry
a pilot right through to retirement. While encouraging structure and discipline
regarding procedures, the author does not merely check off lists of dry facts - Cockpit
Procedures is also fun to read
and Chris Burger keeps his readers focused with lively description and his knack
for getting down to essentials in such a way that they stay with you.
Chris R. Burger is an instructor and pilot examiner, flies both airplanes and
helicopters, was previously an Air Traffic Controller, and runs a flying school
in South Africa. As a flight instructor whose academic background includes
aviation psychology expertise, Chris works to promote a culture of safety and
teach pilots how to stay out of trouble in the skies - a task well-served by
more than 2,500 hours of instructor experience in over 80 different aircraft
models.
Getting the most from Cockpit Procedures
- Student pilots can read the book repeatedly to reinforce the routines
that their flight instructors are trying to teach them. Arriving prepared is
the best way to obtain maximum benefit from expensive flight instruction.
- Certificated pilots can learn to become more methodical, reducing the
chances of missing important cues when things go wrong. They can also become
more adaptable, easing the transition into other, more complex aircraft.
- Flight instructors can use the book to great effect to improve their
students' performance in the cockpit, and to standardize operations in a
flight school to improve cooperation among instructors.
- Virtual aviators can learn to conduct a flight with maximum realism,
using actual procedures used in the cockpits of real airplanes and
helicopters.
For flight schools
Flight schools can request a set of review
questions that students can use to ensure that they have mastered the book. For
schools intending to use the book in their training, a full set of references
for the review questions can also be supplied.
From the Foreword:
"Enthusiasm and a genuine love of aviation
have driven Chris to come up with what may well become one of the lasting
training foundation stones of many future aviatorsï¾… Many of the philosophies
taught here are so fundamental and powerful that they will carry a pilot right
through to retirement."
- Mike Malherbe, senior 777 training captain,
Virgin Blue.
An Introduction to Cockpit
Procedures by Chris Burger
There are many books to help you in your quest to become a better pilot. Whether
you are just starting or you are an old hand on an ongoing quest to improve, you
can find books about almost any topic. Meteorology, aircraft systems,
navigation, landing technique and every minute aspect of landings are well
covered.
One gaping omission has been the lack of a book that tells you what you
should be doing in the cockpit. As the Chief Instructor of a flying school, I
felt that the flight training syllabus did not allow enough contact time between
the instructor and the student to learn cockpit smarts sufficiently well. I
therefore set about writing this book, to enable trainee pilots to absorb the
skills in their own time.
Cockpit Procedures sets out
to explain the nitty gritty of operating aircraft, both airplanes and
helicopters. The book is being used for training brand new student pilots, but
it is also intended for more advanced pilots trying to improve their technique.
Any pilot undergoing advanced training will benefit greatly from the
step-by-step coverage of routine and abnormal flying provided in this book.
Would-be commercial pilots will benefit from learning perspectives on cockpit
operations that will stand them in good stead in their careers, whether in the
airlines or in general aviation.
The book contains:
- An overview, describing how to use the book and what its aim is.
- The use of checklists, describing action lists, flows and true
checklists.
- A step-by-step description of a normal flight, from the moment you
arrive at the aircraft to the moment you leave the airport.
- Sections on abnormal and emergency procedures, outlining priorities and
thinking, as well as some specific procedures applicable to most airplanes.
- A section on helicopter operations, indicating how the priorities and
procedures are fundamentally the same, and providing pointers on how to
adapt existing airplane procedures to helicopters.
- A section on airmanship, including a breakdown of the required
components and some practical tips. There are also sections on workload
management and the practicalities of packing your flight bag.
- A description of aircraft handbooks, describing the standardized format,
the meaning of certain terms and the thinking behind the structure of all
modern general aviation aircraft handbooks.
- A set of sample checklists for light airplanes.
- A section on Morse code, including a decoding tree. This section will
help you greatly if you have to identify radio beacons aurally.
Flight schools can use the book to illuminate their flying school SOPs, which
encourages standardization between students and instructors. Once a student has
gained a solid understanding of SOPs, the school can publish its own preferences
in a handy reference document that students will easily understand.
Virtual aviators have an amazing level of realism at their fingertips, in the
form of interface devices and software that faithfully mimic the real aircraft.
Until now, there has been no way to obtain a blow-by-blow description of
happenings in the cockpit without taking instruction with a qualified pilot.
This book solves this problem for virtual aviators by describing the actions
required for each phase of flight in great detail.
The emphasis is practical. As an example, try these sections in the chapter
on airmanship:
- A list of good habits that you should cultivate.
- A list of things to have in your flight bag.
- How to correctly aim an aircraft at a point on the horizon.
- How to manage risky events, such as changing fuel tanks.
- How to manage workload, by redistributing the actions performed in the
flight.
- How to maintain a healthy balance between being careful and being
confident.
Chris Burger provides a combination of practical and theoretical
background that is unusual in aviation. He is a Designated Pilot Examiner on
airplanes. His instruction experience of over 2,500 hours includes more than 80
aircraft models, including ultralights, medium jets and helicopters. He holds an
Airline Transport Pilot Licence with instructor and test pilot ratings and has
accumulated more than 3,500 hours on more than 100 aircraft models.
By day, he
works as a researcher in Artificial Intelligence systems. He holds a masterï¾’s
degree in engineering and a degree in aviation management, and is pursuing a
PhD. He was once a licensed Air Traffic Controller. In his spare time, he plays
with his daughter Lisa, is involved in a Christian church, flies as an Air Force
Reserve pilot, plays several musical instruments badly and occasionally indulges
in a little amateur radio.
Includes illustrations, glossary, and helpful appendices. Softcover, 144 pages.