Standard Operating Procedures

Reference: AC 91-73, FAA Safety Briefing Jan/Feb 2021

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are written policies and practices designed to ensure operational consistency and reduce errors. They encompass normal, abnormal, non-normal, and emergency operations to produce predictable and safe outcomes in all phases of flight.

SOPs = Doing it the right way, all the time, every time.

Structure of an SOP

Each SOP provides a structured approach to tasks in all flight phases, detailing what needs to be done, when it should be done, and who is responsible for its execution.

Example: The pilot flying (PF) should avoid performing nonessential tasks while the aircraft is taxiing.

Personalizing and Developing SOPs

SOPs should be adapted to align with specific equipment and the individual pilot, instructor, or flight school. They can be structured around five key areas that cover all phases of flight: Plan, Brief, Do, Review, and Renew.

• Plan (Flight Preparation): Ensure readiness by addressing pilot, aircraft, environment, and external pressures (PAVE) using a structured preflight approach.
• Brief (Shared Mental Models): Align expectations through preflight, passenger, and phase-specific briefings to enhance coordination and preparedness.
• Do (Execution of the Flight): Use checklists, callouts, and standard profiles (routines) to maintain consistency.
• Review (Post-Flight Analysis): Conduct debriefs to identify lessons learned and guide future improvements.
• Renew (Continuous Improvement): Regularly refine skills and update procedures.

Related:

• Crew and Passenger Briefings
• Standard Crew Callouts
• Flight Lesson Briefing Guide

SOPs for Visual Scanning and Collision Avoidance

References: AIM 4-3-2, AIM 7-6-3, AIM 8-1-6

• Keep cockpit windows clean and free of obstructions.
• Fly the correct en-route altitude for the direction of flight.
• Monitor local airport frequencies to “get the picture” of the traffic in the area.
• Develop a systematic scanning technique and use everyone in the aircraft to help scan for traffic.
• Avoid practicing flight maneuvers near instrument approach areas or extended runway centerlines.
• Perform clearing turns before all flight training maneuvers, using two 90° turns in opposite directions to visually scan above, below, and around the aircraft.
• Incorporate verbal callouts during clearing procedures to reinforce vigilance (e.g., “clear left/right,” “clear above/below”).
• Turn ON all exterior lights, including strobes, in high-traffic areas and near airports to enhance visibility to other aircraft.
• Be aware of meteorological conditions, including the sun’s angle, that limit the ability to see other aircraft.

SOPs for Radio Communications

• Use standard phraseology at all times to ensure clear and consistent communication.
• Listen carefully before transmitting to avoid interrupting or blocking ongoing communications.
• Eliminate ambiguous terms such as “to” and “for” to prevent confusion with the numbers “2” and “4.”
• Avoid using “Roger” or “Wilco” when reading back ATC clearances or instructions.
• Read back all ATC instructions and clearances, including heading, altitude, and hold short directives, to confirm understanding.
• Request immediate clarification if any ATC instruction is unclear or appears unsafe.
• Actively monitor guard frequency (121.5 MHz) on a secondary radio if equipped, ensuring awareness of emergency broadcasts and missed radio calls.
• Carry a backup handheld radio transmitter during all flights to maintain communication in the event of primary radio failure.

SOPs for Risk Management

• Make key decisions on the ground whenever possible, where stress is lower and options are clearer.
• Use a Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) to identify, mitigate, and manage risks.
• Plan ahead by reviewing critical resources, such as the airport diagram, before taxiing.
• Pause regularly to assess the flight environment using the 5P checklist (Plan, Plane, Pilot, Passengers, and Programming).
• Maintain heightened situational awareness during critical phases of flight and ground operations, actively scanning for hazards.
• Set personal minimums that exceed regulatory requirements, accounting for experience, proficiency, and conditions. Maintain proficiency with a regular training plan.

SOPs for Flight Deck Management

• Do not place headsets or other items on the dash to prevent scratching the windscreen.
• Brief all roles and responsibilities, including pilot flying (PF) and pilot monitoring (PM) duties, before flight.
• Discuss the initial autopilot modes and expected transitions during the preflight briefing.
• Use the level of automation that provides the highest margin of safety.
• Verify each autopilot mode change with a verbal callout.
• Display the most relevant information for the current phase of flight.
• Use a three-step verbal and visual handoff process when exchanging flight controls.
• Instruct passengers to avoid unnecessary conversation during critical phases of flight.
• Maintain a sterile cockpit during all ground operations, below 2,500′ AGL, and within 10 minutes of landing.

Checklist Usage

Beginning and Ending a Checklist: State the name of the checklist before beginning. Conclude by stating the name of the checklist and affirming “checklist complete.”

Interrupted Checklists: If the checklist is only delayed for a brief period and the pilot is sure of where he or she was interrupted, the item may be completed, and the checklist may continue. Otherwise, restarting the checklist from the beginning is recommended.

Touch Verification: Enhance accuracy by physically touching each gauge, switch, or control when verifying items. This method minimizes the risk of false confirmations.

Single-Pilot Operations:

• Use the challenge-and-response method during noncritical phases to enhance focus and prevent omissions.
• Apply the flow (do-verify) method during high workload phases to complete tasks efficiently, followed by a checklist review for accuracy.

Two-Pilot Operations:

• Use the challenge-and-response method for critical checklists, including those confirming landing gear and flap configurations.
• Silent checklists may be used by the pilot monitoring during low workload phases but must conclude with a verbal acknowledgment to ensure mutual understanding.

Emergencies: Use the challenge-and-response method for non-normal and emergency checklists to ensure a methodical approach and reduce the risk of errors during critical situations.

Related: Inflight Emergencies: Checklist Usage During Emergencies

SOPs for Preflight Assessments

• Adhere to the same preflight procedures without deviation, regardless of time pressures or adverse conditions such as cold temperatures.
• Maintain a personalized checklist that ensures maintenance records, aircraft squawks, weather conditions, NOTAMs, and operational-specific items are reviewed before each flight.
• Do not adjust personal minimums within 24 hours of a planned flight to ensure objective decision-making.
• Establish a policy of briefing passengers to ensure they understand that safety decisions take precedence over schedules.

SOPs for Taxiing

References: AC 90-66, AC 91-73, AC 120-71, AC 120-74

• Complete all checklist items, program the avionics, and set the communication and navigation radios before taxiing to reduce workload during movement.
• Review and brief any changes to the expected taxi route immediately upon receiving instructions to ensure situational awareness.
• Keep the airport diagram available and use all visual cues, including the heading indicator, to track progress and adhere to the taxi route.
• Maintain a sterile cockpit to enhance focus and prevent distractions.
• The parking brake can be used to assist the pilot but can not be relied upon to hold the aircraft stationary. Feet must remain on the brakes while the aircraft is stopped.

Line-Up-and-Wait Operations (Towered Airports)

• Turn on traffic information displays, if equipped, and zoom in to monitor nearby traffic.
• Increase the aircraft’s visibility by turning on all exterior lights except the landing lights. Turn the landing lights on when the aircraft begins rolling.
• At night, line up slightly left or right of the centerline to help distinguish the aircraft from the runway lights.

SOPs for the Use of Exterior Lighting

References: 14 CFR 91.209, AIM 4-3-23, AC 91-73, SAFO 11004

• Engines Running: Rotating beacon ON
• Sunset to Sunrise: Position lights ON
• Taxi: Taxi light ON when moving; Taxi light OFF when stopped or yielding
• Crossing a Runway: All exterior lights ON
• Line Up and Wait: Landing light OFF; All other exterior lights ON
• Takeoff and Landing: All exterior lights ON
• Climb and Descent: All exterior lights ON

Note: Do not use strobe or forward-facing lights if they could impair the vision of other pilots or ground personnel.

SOPs for Traffic Patterns

• Reach traffic pattern altitude at least 3 miles from the airport to improve visual scanning.
• Enter and exit traffic patterns using recommended procedures.
• Turn landing lights ON within 10 miles of the airport to enhance visibility.
• Use traffic displays set to an appropriate range (“zoom in”), if equipped, to supplement visual scanning.
• Maintain standard flight profiles with consistent airspeeds and configurations on each leg of the pattern.
• Increase situational awareness at airports with parallel or crossing runways.

SOPs for Landing and Taxiing to Parking

References: AIM 4-3-20, AC 91-73

• Before landing, establish a plan to exit the runway and review the expected taxi route to the parking location.
• Do not accept last-minute turnoff instructions from the tower unless you are certain you can safely comply.
• Never stop on an active runway to ask for directions; clear the runway first.
• Do not exit the landing runway onto a crossing runway without an ATC clearance.
• Make no configuration changes until after the aircraft has exited the runway.
• Guard against the pitfall of following expectations instead of the instructions received from ATC.

SOPs for Parking and Securing

• Continuously monitor the proximity of other aircraft, vehicles, and people when operating on airport surfaces.
• If the ramp is hazardous, exit the aircraft before the passengers.
• Ensure that passengers are escorted at all times while on the ramp.
• Do not walk away from the airplane unless it is tied down or the wheels are chocked.

Securing Procedures for Periods of Inactivity

• Fill the fuel tanks to prevent water condensation from forming inside the tank.
• Secure the airplane with chains or ropes (as applicable).
• Install the pitot tube covers, cowling inlet covers, flight control gust locks, window sunscreens, and security locks (as applicable).

Extended Use of the Parking Brake

The parking brake on a GA airplane should only be used for as long as necessary to install the wheel chocks or tie down the airplane. It should then be released to relieve hydraulic pressure in the braking system.

Reasons to consider releasing the parking brake:

• Hydraulic fluid could leak out if kept under pressure.
• Ground personnel could potentially tow the airplane.
• Cold temperatures could cause the brake pads to freeze to the rotors.

Related: Airplane Systems: Parking Brake

Flight Deck Management

Ground Operations

Takeoff Roll

Note: “T&P’s in the Green” means the engine temperatures and pressures are in their normal ranges.

Climbing and Descending

Instrument Approaches

Instrument Approach Deviations

Before Landing

Complex Airplanes

Note: The GUMP check is a verification of critical checklist items: Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture(s), and Prop(s).

Preflight Briefing

Postflight Debriefing

Guided Self-Assessment

Replay

• Learner:
  • Describes the flight from a personal point of view.
• Instructor:
  • Guides the learner with a series of questions:
    • How do you think that went?
    • Did anything unexpected happen?
  • Listens carefully.
  • Focuses the discussion on areas that need attention.
  • Explores any differences in perceptions.
  • Helps the learner integrate perceptions into meaningful insights.

Note: A recorded video or data from a flight tracking app should be used to replay the day’s activities.

Reconstruct

• Learner:
  • Identifies the things that he or she would have, could have, or should have done differently (“would’a, could’a, should’a” elements)
• Instructor:
  • Guides the learner with a series of questions:
    • If we did the flight again, what would you do differently?
    • Were any standards, policies, or procedures compromised?
  • Reminds the learner of the things that went right.
  • Connects the learner’s responses with useful suggestions.
  • Maintains a helpful self-evaluation rather than a destructive self-beating.

Reflect

• Learner:
  • Identifies and verbalizes thought processes that cannot be observed
• Instructor:
  • Guides the learner with a series of questions:
    • What was the most important thing you learned today?
    • What part of the lesson was easiest for you?
    • What part was hardest?
  • Listens carefully to evaluate the learner’s decision-making skills.

Redirect

• Learner:
  • Correlates the lessons learned with past experiences.
  • Considers how to apply those insights to future flights.
• Instructor:
  • Guides the learner with a series of questions:
    • How does this experience relate to previous lessons?
    • Which aspects of this experience might apply to future situations, and how?

Assessment by the Instructor

This in-depth discussion compares the instructor’s assessment to the learner’s self-assessment. Through this discussion, the instructor and the learner jointly determine the learner’s progress.

Performance and progress can be measured by the use of:

• A structured rubric.
• The appropriate Airman Certification Standards (ACS).

5. Stick to the Plan

Do not lower personal minimums for a specific flight. The time to consider adjustments is when you are not under any pressure to fly.

This worksheet will help you develop a plan for maintaining and improving aeronautical skills. Use it to establish a proficiency program that exceeds the regulatory currency requirements.