Originally Posted by
Check Airman
Never flown a monitored approach, but I read this thread with interest. Particularly the bits about one pilot telling the other pilot how the approach will be flown.
Is this something that’s briefed in Europe? Unless I’m doing something wildly out of the ordinary, or unexpected, I don’t even know exactly how I’m going to fly my approach until I get there. The plan changes as the situation progresses, and you just adapt and carry on.
The other thing that gives me pause with the monitored concept is how does one learn from one’s mistakes? Traditionally, if the PF screws up, he/she has a chance to recover, or GA and try again. This seems like it’d be difficult with monitored approaches.
I appreciate the potential benefit of a monitored approach of the wx is sketchy, but for normal operations, it does seem a bit superfluous. But again, I’m looking in from the outside.
You completely misunderstand what a monitored approach is. No one is telling anyone HOW to fly the approach. The handover is effortless. It can be done pre TOD or even as late as the beginning of vectors for the approach. As with any other aspects of airline ops, if the training is up to scratch there is no issue. It’s simply a different way of doing the same thing. I’ve done it for 20yrs in B727, B744, A320, A330, A340 and A350. No issue at all. Train as you fight, fight as you train.