While training for an instrument rating, pilots inevitably ask for strategies on how to get ahead of the airplane before what I call the “machine gun” ending of the approach segment. This means that while being vectored to intercept the final approach course, things are pretty quiet, with maybe a heading or an altitude change occasionally. However, at some point, the air traffic controller is going to rattle off a series of very fast, staccato (at least in the NYC metro area) commands which conclude in them clearing you for an approach to the airport. Like asking someone out on a first date, it can be stressful and we’ve all practiced our response in front of a mirror, yet still stumble on our words from time-to-time.
However, my strategy to deal with this is simple — I’ve already mentally landed the airplane 20 miles ago. Yes, I think through the next steps way before they happen and plan how I’ll execute them. Now in fairness, that’s a skill that improves with time, but the reality is that the sequence of events on an approach is nearly identical each time. If you take yourself out of the airplane for a minute — and envision it flying parallel to the runway at a particular altitude and speed, where you’ll configure flaps and landing gear, what your speeds will be, where the final approach course intercept will be, what heading you’ll be on when that happens and what flight guidance modes (if using a flight director and/or autopilot) modes you’ll be selecting and where — then you won’t have to stress out about responding to the controller, you’ll know almost precisely what they’re going to say and when they’re going to say it. Then, you can respond calmly and execute, because you’ve already done it, 20 miles back.
