Why OPs, rather than standardized operating procedures, are what PA46 community needs.
There’s been lots of talk in the last few years in the PA46 world about “Standardized Operating Procedures” (SOPs). Many who know me know that I’m not a fan of “standardized operating procedures” in a PA46, at least not as that phrase is presently interpreted in the aviation community.
Now, before you stop reading and place me on the shelf as “one of those guys on the other side,” be sure to hear me all the way through. I bet you’ll find that we are on the same sheet of music, or at least pretty close to it. While I’m against Standardized Operating Procedures (SOPs) in the PA46 community, I’m a huge advocate of each PA46 pilot having “Operating Practices” (OPs) to be used while flying his/her PA46. Let’s dissect the differences between the two.
The airlines, military, and some larger corporate flight departments use SOPs, and it is entirely appropriate for them to do so. They all have multi-crew aircraft with personnel interchanging regularly and have aircraft that are nearly identical in every way. It’s important that everyone operate from the same exact rule book, and that rule book is called an SOP. The key words are “standard” (something everyone uses) and “procedure” (a mandatory action). The exemplary safety record of the military, airline and corporate aviation industries shows that SOPs work. Let no one accuse me of being against SOPs in the right setting. But, is the PA46 the correct setting for an SOP? I think not, and here’s why.
In the PA46 world, we don’t work alongside any other crew member and we never share cockpits professionally (beyond training events with flight instructors). It is not important that a pilot in Texas (for example) manage a flight exactly like another pilot in Oregon (or any other state). There’s no need for a “one size fits all” approach, for we all work independently and in drastically different environments.
And, the PA46 fleet is one of the most diverse fleets in existence. All of the airplanes in our fleet are categorized as a PA46, yet there are at least six distinctly different airplanes, at least eight different engines (all with different power settings used in the various phases of flight), a myriad of avionics installations, different V-speeds, and the equipment bolted onto the airplanes is completely random. For example, at the last M-Class KJSO event there were seven JetPROPs in attendance, and every JetPROP was completely different. In those seven JetPROPs were three different engines (-21, -34, -35), four different GPSs (G750, G530W, IFD 540, Garmin 480), three different presentations of flight instruments (steam gauges, G500, Aspen), three different autopilots (KFC150, KFC225, STEC 55X), two different hydraulic systems, three different engine-instrument clusters, and all had knobs and switches in different locations. Any one of those pilots would have felt completely uncomfortable in any other JetPROP.
A harsh example? Nope…I see a gob of randomness in all of the PA46 fleet. Even within seemingly exact airframes (G1000 Mirage and M350, or the G1000 Meridian and M500, for example) there are differences—significant differences. To standardize procedures in the PA46 fleet, or even to try to standardize procedures within a certain type of PA46 within our fleet, would be futile effort. There is simply nothing standardized within the PA46!
Why “SOP” Doesn’t Apply
I considered using the acronym “SOP” for both “Standardized Operating Procedures” and “Suggested Operating Practices.” But, the term “SOP” would get completely mixed up in the jargon. However, the term “suggested” is an appropriate term for what I want in the PA46 world, for MMOPA cannot mandate any “standardized” procedure for our fleet (nor any other entity aside from the FAA). I also don’t like the word “procedure” since is gives off the connotation that it is a “required” action that must be followed. My intent is for each pilot to have Operating Practices (OPs) that will habitually lead to safety and flight success, not a rulebook that must be followed to the letter of the law. Why? Quite simply, there is no law. No one can mandate how you fly your PA46.
But, (and this the part of the discussion that I hope gathers everyone inward) this does not mean that a pilot should not have Operating PRACTICES (OPs) for managing the cockpit. I’m a huge advocate of a pilot having a normal “manner in which they do business” for certain regimes of flight, and these Operating Practices needed to be known, flown, and practiced rigorously. A PA46 pilot can legally “do as he pleases” to manage the cockpit, but any pilot who is random in approach to cockpit management would be a fool, destined for an eventual incident/accident.
Why do I like OPs? Every pilot should have “a way of doing business” in a particular airplane, for when a pilot “does business” the same way every time, anything weird is easy to see. Or, said another way, it’s easy to see a “deviation from normal” when “normal” is a known.
For discussion, let’s consider an instrument approach sequence in a Lycoming-powered PA46 (Mirage or Matrix). While flying an ILS approach, the pilot believes the airplane is fully configured for the approach (gear down, flaps set appropriately, power set to 23 inches MP, and on the glide slope). This pilot uses OPs and knows this configuration has proven in the past to achieve 115 KIAS on every “normal” approach (which is a highly desirable approach speed in my opinion for most PA46s) But, on the approach being flown today the pilot observes a steady 127 KIAS. Does a problem exist? Definitely. The fact that a problem exists is discovered quickly because “normal” (115 KIAS) was not observed. In this instance maybe the landing gear didn’t extend properly, or maybe the flaps didn’t deploy, or maybe there’s a huge tailwind. The pilot could troubleshoot the problem from there, and the fact that “weird” was revealed would probably save the day.
Let’s take another example: The same pilot in the same situation as described above (Mirage configured for landing) observes 100 KIAS on approach. Problem exist? You bet! In this case, knowing “normal” (115 KIAS) and not seeing it (15 KIAS too slow) would alert that pilot to a possible incorrect flap position, possibly the speed brakes were inadvertently deployed, or maybe some unnoticed airframe icing existed. Whatever the problem, the pilot used an OP that he was VERY familiar with that didn’t produce a “normal” result, and the pilot was armed to diagnose and fix the problem because he was first able recognize that a problem existed. For sure, one major duty of a pilot is to notice things that “don’t seem normal,” and OPs allow the pilot to know what normal looks like on every flight.
Every PA46 pilot needs to have OPs for critical phases of flight that lead to success and safety. You’ve probably noticed that your POH, while extremely helpful with providing a plethora of info about your PA46, offers little help in the manner in which to fly an instrument approach, perform a takeoff, or conduct a traffic pattern. It doesn’t advise when you should accomplish the items. It gives you a checklist that you should use to ensure all items are accomplished. This is where OPs are helpful.
Your instructor probably taught you a “flow” that you use during critical phases of flight. This flow is certainly akin to an OP, and I suspect this flow has helped your flying safety. If done correctly, you’ve refined your flow to be something that covers all the bases and is specific to your airplane. If you’ve got a flow and it is working for you, great! If you don’t, you should work closely with your instructor to develop one for your airplane. And, if you or your instructor need help articulating a good OP, help is on the way…
Your MMOPA Board of Directors recently created a Training Committee filled with some of the best instructors in our community, along with a few non-instructor members that are committed to training excellence. Among a long list of important training objectives, this committee is tasked with creating suggested Operational Practices for the Takeoff, Traffic Pattern, and Instrument Approach phases of flight for airframes in the PA46 fleet.
The OPs will be generally grouped into three different airframe types: piston PA46, turbine PA46, and M600. Why does the M600 get its own category? The M600 is the latest addition to the PA46 fleet, and with the completely different wing and flaps structure, it has different operating practices than the other PA46 turbines.
These OPs are going to be generic in nature, but specific enough to provide solid guidance. For instance, the power setting for takeoff will most likely state “set takeoff power” for the turbine versions, and the specific pilot will need to know the specific power settings for their airplane. Correspondingly, it will probably advise the pilot during a missed approach to, “Pitch up, power up, and clean up” the airplane, as there’s simply no way for any one document to articulate the numerous ways to use the numerous autopilots during a missed approach. It will give a general framework that you and your instructor can use to create OPs that are most useful for your specific airplane with its specific nuances.
Not only will these generic OPs help individual pilots create specific OPs for their airplane, but it will also be a windfall of help for future PA46 instructors. We have every hope of attracting the best and brightest in aviation to our instructor community, and those who come in the future will find these OPs helpful as they develop their syllabi for training.
These Operating Practices (OPs) will be made public soon. I look forward to refining them with those who are on the Training Committee. Hopefully, these OPs will help current and future PA46 pilots operate their PA46s more efficiently, safely, and with more ease.
Joe Casey is an ATP, CFI, CFII (A/H), MEI, CFIG, CFIH, as well as a U.S. Army UH-60 standardization instructor/examiner. A MMOPA Board member, he has been a PA46 instructor for 14-plus years, and has accumulated 11,800-plus hours of flight time, 5,000 of which has been in the PA46. Contact Joe at: www.flycasey.com, by email at joe@flycasey.com, or by phone at 903.721.9549.
by Joe Casey