Share your preflight routine

[MDF86 123]

One thing that interests me is how much variety there is amongst what we do preflight.

 

Some like to do complex flight planning, fuel planning etc, some like to start from cold and dark, some like to start on the runway ready to fly, so please share your preflight routine so we can all gain some tips and inspiration!

 

My routine currently consists of:

 

- decide my departure and arrival airports

- enter my flight plan into ASE

- auto generate a flight plan (minus SID and STAR) in FSBuild

- load the NGX (engines running) at a gate at my departure airport

- use the ATIS to establish active runway

- consult Navigraph charts to choose an appropriate SID

- enter all flight information into FMC

- taxi to runway whilst preparing cockpit for departure (flaps, auto brakes, MCP etc)

- go go go!

 

I'm aware this is pretty basic, I'm learning to fly complex addons for the first time really so am not yet at the point of starting up from cold and dark. Plus often time prevents this as I don't normally get more than 2hrs at a time to fly.

[stans 703]

My routine generally goes something like this...

 

Leaving work, plan to do some FSX flying tonight.

Get home, read mail, read email, check forum messages and posts, eat supper.

Turn on the tv.

Check email again.

Look at maps.

Consider flight distances/time between various destinations.

Check email again.

Watch tv for a few minutes.

Consider which aircraft I want to fly... in the future.

Start web searches for said aircraft

Check email again, you never know when a Nigerian Prince is going to notify you that you are to receive a fortune.

Search for FSX (freeware, preferably) version of said future aircraft.

Look up the history and specs of said future aircraft.

Search for images of said aircraft in fairly recent service.

Check email again.

Watch tv for a few minutes.

Find active aircraft registration numbers.

Search for the flights these aircraft make.

Download schedules.

Check email again, no messages from the Nigerian prince, but I have just won the Samoan lottery!

Watch tv for a few minutes.

Download the freeware version of this future aircraft.

Install said aircraft.

Evaluate the model.

Check email again, still no Nigerian prince, but hey, I did win the Samoan lottery.

Determine the virtual cockpit has problems that I cannot fix.

Uninstall said future aircraft.

Turn off computer.

Go to bed, sleep, then do the same things tomorrow.

[MDF86 123]

My routine generally goes something like this...

 

Leaving work, plan to do some FSX flying tonight.

Get home, read mail, read email, check forum messages and posts, eat supper.

Turn on the tv.

Check email again.

Look at maps.

Consider flight distances/time between various destinations.

Check email again.

Watch tv for a few minutes.

Consider which aircraft I want to fly... in the future.

Start web searches for said aircraft

Check email again, you never know when a Nigerian Prince is going to notify you that you are to receive a fortune.

Search for FSX (freeware, preferably) version of said future aircraft.

Look up the history and specs of said future aircraft.

Search for images of said aircraft in fairly recent service.

Check email again.

Watch tv for a few minutes.

Find active aircraft registration numbers.

Search for the flights these aircraft make.

Download schedules.

Check email again, no messages from the Nigerian prince, but I have just won the Samoan lottery!

Watch tv for a few minutes.

Download the freeware version of this future aircraft.

Install said aircraft.

Evaluate the model.

Check email again, still no Nigerian prince, but hey, I did win the Samoan lottery.

Determine the virtual cockpit has problems that I cannot fix.

Uninstall said future aircraft.

Turn off computer.

Go to bed, sleep, then do the same things tomorrow.

 

Ha! Too true! The number of times I've logged on to fly and then got so obsessed with tweaking and tuning etc that I've never got round to flying is scary!

 

I've just picked up a Saitek X52 which came today, so no doubt when I go on tonight to fly I will spend about 2 hours setting that up and 4 minutes flying!

[Dr Vesuvius 22]

Step 1.. Put on pants

Step 2.. ??

Step 3.. Fly!!!

 

Ok seriously though, it depends what sort of flying I feel like doing. GA VFR I'll generally load up an aircraft at an airfield, take off, pick a direction and see what's there.

 

Flying the bigger tin, I've tried to evolve a more... verisimilitudinous procedure.. I won't say "realistic" because I know it's nowhere near what real-life pilots have to do, but it's just enough procedure for me to feel like I'm flying an airliner. This is a constantly developing thing, but at the moment it's something like.

 

1) Decide departure and arrival airports. Usually I fly out of my local international airport. Sometimes I fire up FlightAware and look for a current departure that sounds interesting and try to fly roughly the same aircraft and livery. If I just want a quick practice or are completely lost for inspiration, I'll fall back on my default flight of CRJ700 from Manchester EGCC to Dublin EIDW in Orbit livery.

 

2) If I'm doing a flight I haven't done before, I put the details into Plan-G and print out a flightplan, mainly as a handy reference for COMM and NAV frequencies. Generally I fly GPS direct but if I'm doing anything fancy I'd put in waypoint VORs etc. If this is a new plan I'll export it to PLN to load into FSX.

 

3) Startup the sim, cold and dark.

 

4a) Go through the full ramp process, with catering trucks and passenger boarding, courtesy of GSX. This happens in parallel with....

4b) Startup procedures and IFR clearance/taxi clearance from ATC. For all its many, many faults, I prefer to fly under MS ATC direction, again as part of the whole verisimilitude thing. Real pilots can't just do what they want up there, I can't use VATSIM for practical reasons and I haven't seen a replacement ATC package that's won me over yet, so MS ATC it is.

 

5) Taxi to departure runway, while my flight attendant welcomes the passengers and reads the safety briefings, courtesy of Multi Crew Experience. I gdon't use MCE's flight checklist feature as I've had problems getting it to work, instead I work through my own checklists and use the MCE copilot to handle the mundane button pushing and radio tuning.

 

6) Fly!!!

 

Like I said, not "realistic", but just enough to feel like I'm following some sort of procedure. Again it's a work in progress and developing as I build up skills and knowledge.

 

Dr V

[duckbilled 310]

Fire up Google earth and look at the weather at all of my add on airports (they are pinned in GE). I try to find two city pairs where the weather is crappy and I have a realistic aircraft/paint combination. At least the origin airport must have high quality scenery. After I decide on a flight, I verify that the weather I'm expecting is being reported in ASE. Then I open up AFX and look for an appropriate parking location based on the airline and aircraft. If I am flying a QualityWings aircraft, I also have to keep the distance to the runway threshold in mind so QPAS will play properly. Once that's done, I restart both my rigs, switch to single monitor, fire up FSX and ASE...

 

This whole process can take a while. Sometimes I can't find an acceptable city/weather/aircraft/airline combo so I just give up and do something else.

[Phantom88 3,287]

I go to Church,Say 3 Hail Marys and pray FSX doesn't crash before I reach my destination

[PIC007 82]

Choose flight

Choose plane

Click Fly Now

takeoff

Land

Close FSX :-)

[rototom 198]

Load FSBuild and AS2012

Build flight plan or look one up on Flightaware

FBBuild will pull weather from AS and create an FSX plan and one for Squawkbox

Then I load the FSX plan in to Aivlasoft EFB

Pick runway/SID/STAR in EFB

Run FSX and load flight

Load fuel and payload

Establish ground power

Alight IRS (If applicable)

Connect to VATSIM and file flight plan

Check ATIS

Set BARO

Program FMS and/or dial in NAV settings (crs, hdg etc..)

Set up MCP/Autopilot

Get clearance

Start APU

Pre start checks

Push and start

[miami747 7]

It really depends. These days I only fly when I really have time. By that I mean I have days off from school or work. I guess when I am working and there is no school I do not mind doing 2 hours or less trips at night. Those type of flights have less preflight. Maybe just have the APU running already. Don't worry about printing out fuel loads etc..

 

Usually my long haul flights are more realistic for preflight.

First of course I need to pick where I am flying this I might do weeks ahead of time.

Then check weather, set the aircraft weights and make fuel calculations. For longer flights I usually print out fuel and weight information along with a map of the flight route and a sheet of the different waypoints.

Start FSX. First leg of the day is always almost start with cold and dark.

I do all the procedures needed to get the airplane going. While this is happeneing boarding is going on of course .

And that is it. Once the preflight checks are complete the flight starts.

 

Now if I am flying for a morning, afternoon or maybe a whole day and doing a few segments preflight after the first flight of the day is a little different. I may just check weather, load the aircraft weights fuel up and head out right away on my next leg. Or I might have the sim on and leave the aircraft parked at the gate for a little bit while I eat some lunch and then do any preflight stuff etc..

 

One thing I do like to do especially if I know I might be spending a little bit too much time inside is before flights I will take a walk outside if it is a nice day for a few minutes. Of course this walk could be considered a "walk around."

[monteclaro 1]

I Use IDEAL FLIGHT and let the program do all the job for me.

 

http://codelegend.com/idealflight/default.htm

[xplanery 250]

Choose which plane I want to fly

Choose route from FScaptain dispatch

Open FSX, OpusFSX, FScaptain and later when FSX is open Trackir

Choose time of day, airport, select aircraft from menu and start free flight

When inside FSX I usually just look for a route and weather report, I rarely do any more complicated planning

Startup procedures, set FMC, load pax using FScaptain, start engines

 

Takeoff and Climb, after initial climb I usually switch to browser and check email, watch videos, check Avsim & Airliners.net and then check how my flight is going every now and then & drink tea, preferably green or white one.

 

Descent, I start to spend more time with FSX window instead of browser.

Approach, I tell my multicrew cabin crew to prepare for landing while doing tight turns and generally rough approach.

Smooth touchdown

Taxiing towards gate, I turn on APU if I do also return flight.

Parking, shutdown engines, unload pax and cargo.

 

 

Currently flying from Malta Intl to Heraklion, Crete with Wilco 737-300W evolution & my virtual airline Southeast Airlines.

[Nurmblitz 59]

This is so much fun to read.

 

Unfortunately I have to agree with the fellow waiting e-mail from Nigeria.

 

But sometimes I succeed to take off.

 

I spend lot of time studying the airlines whose routes I'm going to fly. It is imperative that those routes are or have been flown in real life. Then I study the aeroplanes I'm about to fly. Usually when I get APU running its too late to continue.

 

Kind of frustrating since I have gigabytes of sceneries and planes bought from the annual sales that I have had never time to enjoy. And the sales season is starting again...

[Eric Tomlin 10]

Typically, we only get to fly Friday nights.

 

Here's a go:

 

1) Walk out to the Hangar at 10pm or a bit after. If I've not already gotten the PCs up and running, I get them on and start the A/C in the building.

2) By this time my copilot is arriving and I've got FS9 up and running and getting the aircraft positioned at our departure airport.

3) Minimize FS and get the flight plan built via FSBuild and insure that all PCs are up and ready to fly.

4) Get the fuel required loaded as well as our passenger load, if any are present for this flight.

5) Once the flight plan is built, I get Squawkbox up and running and enter the FP as required. At this time I have my copilot enter the Flight Deck and get the Before Start checklist completed.

6) I climb in and get seated in whichever seat I was not flying from on the previous Friday's flight. All settled, I usually realize I forgot approach plates or the keyboard or maybe I need to take a leak. Sometimes I forget to turn on the Buttkicker or my drink.

7) Climb out to get or do whatever I forgot about prior to climbing in the first time.

8) Climb back in and finally get settled for the flight.

9) Perform the Engine Start Checklist and before you know it we've got the airplane up and running, ready for clearance.

10) Call whatever local authority from VATSIM is online and get clearance. If no facility manned, we simply monitor the CTAF.

11) Once clearance is handed to us, we go with the Before Taxi checklist and once it's done, we are finally (about 20 minutes later) rolling on our way to the active for departure.

 

I must say, I am very fortunate to have a full scale Learjet 45 simulator! However, I remember back to the desktop days and it brings fond memories and if I didnt have the sim that I do now, it'd still be wonderful. Long live Flight Simulator!

[Guest]

- Choose departure and destination in Plan-G (making sure to stay within the Orbx NA region).

- Create and save the flightplan (lately simply A to B) mainly to get myself parked on a parking spot quickly and easily

- Start Track-IR, FSX and OpusFSX

- Load the plan: no need to pick and load a plane because the RealAir Legacy is already by default the one and only plane I am going to fly

- Set the time of day: I usually always fly on the same date somewhere in spring

- Start the flight

- The Legacy always is cold and dark, so I start her up (while the OpusFSX weather is being loaded automatically) and put the plan in the RXP GNS530 (another reason to keep the plan simple...)

- Taxi to the runway and fly!

[bobbyjoh 11]

Well being an old USAF guy that flew for real. I can't enjoy just jumping in and flying. First I sat down last month and went through the Delta Airlines interactive flight map. I then selected 147 city pairs that Delta flies since I use the LDS 767 in the Delta livery, plus I live at Delta's second hub Detroit (KDTW). My pairs go all over the world and also all there domestic destinations. Right now my plane is sitting at SBGL which I flew from KATL to SBGL. Now having said that, I don't have to think about where I am going to fly its already planned.

 

First I check the US National Weather site for the conditions at my city pairs.

Second I go to FlightAware to check the routes that Delta is flying and the flight numbers along with the gates at my arrival destination. ( start each flight from where I landed before).

Third, I copy the routes and then paste it into FSBuild. I then go into Active Sky 2012 to save the weather. FSBuild will use that data to give me accurate en route winds (very important for long distant flights)

Fourth I use the LDS configuration tool to set my payload for this flight.At this point I input my playload, taxi, holding data ect into FSBuild. Now when I get the routing with RW data I get an estimated fuel burn amount. At this point I use the configuration tool to load the amount of fuel needed for this flight.

Fifth I use the FSBuild program to export the data into the .pln and rtf formats.

Sixth I now check AS2012 input for flight plan and get departure, enroute and destination weather. Look at the AS2012 map for conditions along the route.

Seventh, start FSX and run the complete checklist not from a cold and dark, but the condition I left it when I parked at my previous flight.

 

Now someone asked my why go though all that, well this is what it was in the real world. An airline pilot does not just into an airplane and start flying. I love RW immersion and thats why I love FSX. It may be long, but I love it. Some folks who want to jump in and fly don't really know what the real world does.

 

Bob