Charts and briefing

Navigation data changes on a regular AIRAC cycle. The flight planner, charts and aircraft database should represent the same cycle wherever possible; otherwise a waypoint, airway or procedure may appear in one place and be missing or renamed in another.

Before programming, confirm the chart revision and the navigation-data cycle shown by the aircraft. If the cycles differ, do not blindly force a generated route into the FMS. Rebuild it with procedures and fixes that are current in the system you will actually fly.

Begin with the departure airport chart and parking position, then collect the expected taxi, departure, enroute, arrival, approach and destination airport charts. Add the alternate airport and likely approach rather than waiting until the diversion decision.

In Navigraph Charts, a flight can organize the relevant airport and procedure charts around the route. Pin or otherwise stage the most likely set, but keep alternates available because runway and procedure assignments can change with weather or traffic.

Confirm the airport, runway, procedure name, revision and aircraft applicability first. Then trace the lateral path in the plan view, read every altitude and speed restriction, and compare the route with the active FMS legs page.

For an approach, identify the initial and final approach fixes, inbound course, navigation source, descent profile, decision altitude or minimum descent altitude, required visibility and the complete missed-approach path. Read notes and limitations before assuming the procedure fits the aircraft or weather.

State how the aircraft will join the procedure, the first meaningful constraint, expected automation modes and the point where configuration or descent begins. Include the threat most likely to change the plan: wind, terrain, icing, runway condition, traffic or a late runway change.

A departure brief should connect the runway to the initial altitude and first route segment. An approach brief should connect the arrival to the landing criteria and go-around. If the brief cannot explain that sequence simply, the setup is not finished.

Keep the current taxi or flight procedure visible and move the next chart into reach before the workload increases. A moving map can support awareness, but it does not replace reading restrictions, notes and minima.

Annotations can mark an assigned taxi route, holding point, key restriction, minima or a change from the expected plan. Keep markings sparse enough that the original information remains easy to read.

If the clearance, chart and FMS do not agree, hold position or ask for time. Confirm the exact procedure and transition with ATC, then correct the route and cross-check it independently. Never solve a database mismatch by accepting an unverified discontinuity or invented waypoint.

Current ATC instructions take precedence over the expected plan, but they do not remove the pilot’s responsibility to understand and safely execute the clearance. Say ‘unable’ and offer a workable alternative when the aircraft database or capability cannot support it.