Workshop participants raised concerns about distractions faced by pilots after the activity briefing.
What can operators do?
While not a formal regulation for pre-flight, adopting a sterile approach before these critical phases is a good practice.
- Defer non-essential tasks: Postpone paperwork and non-critical checks until after the critical phases of flight.
- Prepare thoroughly: Complete all necessary fuel, weather, and flight plan checks before arriving at an Air Display.
- Limit distractions: Just as in the cockpit, minimise non-essential personal conversations or distractions during the high-workload period before take off.
- Prioritise tasks: During pre-flight, focus on tasks crucial for safe operation, just as you would during the actual flight.
What is CASA doing or has already delivered?
In Australia, our regulations require that pilots follow sterile cockpit procedures during specific high-risk phases of flight, including:
- taxi
- take off
- landing.
While sterile cockpit primarily refers to a prohibition of non-essential duties and activities during flight, you can extend the principle to the crucial pre-flight period. As a thorough pre-flight is essential for safe flight operations, this helps to ensure adequate:
- preparation
- planning
- task focus.
We recognise the risk associated with conducting these operations particularly leading up to a pilot conducting a display. We do and will continue to work with the industry to ensure regulatory compliance but also to ensure the safety of the operations you’re conducting.