Developing your own SOPs

[surreal1221]

How did you guys go about it?

I'd like to develop a system, for my own use, to provide a standard flight environment whenever I fly.

Especially now after getting my instrument rating, I think it's even more important now.

Any suggestions?

[tgrayson]

Originally Posted by surreal1221

Any suggestions?

You might need to clarify your question. I, at least, have no idea what you're asking about.

[WAFlyBoy]

Standard Operating Procedures?

I suppose you'd just keep doing things consistently the way you did in training. Checklist usage, flows, callouts, etc.

SOPs (as I know them) are typically developed for a crew environment or organizations with multiple pilots operating the same equipment. "Standardization" means everybody doing things the same way, and SOPs are one tool used to meet that end.

Perhaps I don't understand the question either.....

[Dugie8]

in a word, simplicity....

[surreal1221]

The reason I got thinking about this is. . .

http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl....roduct_id=6325

That book discusses developing a personal SOP. Well, I don't want to buy the book, and was hoping someone would have heard of a way, perhaps by teaching their own students - how to develop something. I have an idea of what I want, and what I want to do with it. . .just wasn't sure if any CFIs had discussed this type of subject with their students.

[WAFlyBoy]

I agree with Dugie, but I suppose you'd have to purchase the book to find out what the author has in mind....

[tgrayson]

Originally Posted by surreal1221

The reason I got thinking about this is. . .

Ok, so you're mainly interested in IFR procedures that will lessen your workload and increase safety?

[E6BAV8R]

Well it's rather difficult to make SOP for teaching a certain certificate or rating; one of the best things about lesson plans is that they need to tailor to the individual - man it feels weird repeating that stupid FOI book. But it does make sense

[surreal1221]

Originally Posted by tgrayson

Ok, so you're mainly interested in IFR procedures that will lessen your workload and increase safety?

Bingo!

[MidlifeFlyer]

surreal, I think the start is to think in terms of checklists. That's the first set of SOP we do when we first start training. Those CE-152 checklists are really just a series of written SOPs for the different phases of flight.

Some flight schools add substantially to them adding "get ATIS" and other items that go beyond aircraft airworthiness and readiness. I've also seen checklists that add substantially for IFR phases of flight.

I tend to think they sometimes go a bit overboard but the concept is sound - think in terms of phases of flight and develop a "checklist" or peocedure that accounts for what needs to be done for each one. For IFR, for example, I think in terms what what tasls needs to be done as part of the trasnition from the enroute to the terminal environment. If you want to get more detailed, you can add such things as the types of airports you will onlt fly into with certain weather minima - sort of a mini OpSpec.

If it's to be a personal SOP, whether you integrate it into a home-grown checklist or keep it as a separate reference text is going to be a personal decision.