IFR flight, particularly SP IFR, is a time management exercise...it is knowing where to look for the information you need and what to do with that at any one point in time seemingly without effort...prioritisation.
I tend to not agree with, and don't use crutches like mud maps and clip boards covered in cheat notes...many do I know.
ALL the information
you need is on the enroute/terminal and IAL charts so why write it out on separate pieces of paper and clutter up your lap/the cockpit with extraneous ****...because take if from me as an ex ATO you will still need to have the Jepps stuff out as well and
if you're not using it the instructor/examiner SHOULD hammer you for it.
If you **** something up because you wrote it down wrong or waste precious minutes searching through a lap full of crap or the clipboard slips off your lap onto the floor you will just look very silly and unprofessional.
As far as prep goes (besides the obvious study of the route detail the night before) certainly use a highlighter to highlight the planned route, navaids, LSALTs, Grid MORAs (
hint: know how wide an airway is and if you have to divert around weather and that takes you outside that limit reference the grid mora and bring it to the attention of your tormentor - (you'll look very clever) and also highlight any Navaid boxes associated with places he/she could reasonably divert you too on the way around the primary route. Fold your chart so that the entire route is exposed to plain view and with as much of the surrounding 'possibilities' exposed as possible. Then fold it in half again with the route on the outside. It is now perfectly set up to be jammed in the crack at the side of the coaming where you can access it in a second without looking down into you lap and fecking with your clip board.
Your flightplan and notams/weather will be in A4 so staple them all together and fold them in half in the obvious way. The result will be thick enough to form a stable writing surface. The best place to write your clearances is across the top (departure) and bottom (arrival) of the flightplan where they are easy to check.
Hint: Never,
and I mean fecking NEVER, ask for a clearance without a pen in your other hand and something to write on. Turn the lot over and you have all the scratch paper you will ever need. Folded with the flightplan on the outside you can jam it in the same crevice as the enroute chart...easily accessible by simply reaching out with your left hand while maintaining your scan and a quick glance later jam it back in again.
Put all the plates you think you will need (primary and diversion) in a separate 1in binder/similar in the order you will need them (those coloured plastic jepp dividers are excellent) and have that binder within VERY easy blind reach. Maybe there is a side wall pocket...any plastic gimmicks you need (rulers/protractors etc) can go in there too. Obviously the rest of your charts are within reasonably easy reach behind the front right seat.
If you're one of these young blokes who needs an electronic calculator and can't use a prayer wheel, that lives in your top pocket, with your right hand while flying with your left...well you're just sad
Logistically you're ready to do battle with a tidy organised cockpit where you don't need to go searching for stuff and your lap is clear of crap that can AND WILL fall on the floor at the MOST inopportune moment.
Take your approach plates and a pencil and label them as follows;
1/. Chart name
2/. Chart number and effective date
3/. MSA
4/. IAL procedure commencement altitude
5/. Frequency and track outbound/inbound
and RMI/HSI selections
6/. Limiting or Check alts/inbound profile (see below about profiles)
7/. Minima/MAP and threshold elevation (circling MDA and restrictions?)
8/. Required vis and position of threshold relative to aircraft track.
9/. Missed approach instructions
10/. Holding pattern
11/. Notes
When you brief the approach simply 'paint by numbers'. In the fullness of time you won't need to write the numbers once the correct habit is ingrained.
Remember too when briefing approaches that certain things logically go together and if you link them in your mind you will be less likely to forget and, as an example, fly an otherwise great NDB approach without monitoring the aid or try to fly a VOR approach with the RMI selectors on ADF...yes I have seen that attempted.
Thus a brief for the SY RWY 25 VOR/DME would sound like this,
"We are going to conduct the
1 SY RWY 25 VOR DME approach,
2 chart 13-3 dated xyz.
3 MSA is 2600 feet, 2100 within 10nm. The procedure commences overhead the VOR at
4 3000',
5 frequency 112.1 (tuned/idented) and the initial track cat A/B is 068, RMI selectors VOR. Track inbound is 236,
6 3 times profile down to a minima of
7 630' (580 +50'), Missed Approach Point 1.5 DME, minimum vis is
8 3.2 km, threshold elevation is 20' and should be straight ahead. If not visual we track
9 236 degrees an climb to 3000' or as directed by ATC.
10 Holding is at the VOR track inbound 083 and its a lefthand 1 minute pattern, minimum altitude 3000' likely entry from a missed approach is sector 1.
11 Notes, max initial IAS 210kts, GPS can be used in lieu of DME, ref way point SY VOR."
Now for extra brownie points and to make your life SOOOO much easier when actually flying the approach look at the DME/ALT table and work out a 3 x distance profile (the night before) and write that on the plate in pencil too next to the table.
The table is,
2.1/580'
3.0/855'
4.0/1175'
5.0/1495'
6.0/1810'
7.0/2130'
Now 3 x 2.1 is 630' (how lucky was that), 3 x 3 = 900' etc...all the way back to 3x7=2130' (forget the 30 or a twitch on the stick can fix it). No limiting steps so fly the entire inbound leg on a straight 3xdist profile...easy!
To calculate an approach profile always start at the minima and work out what it is as a 3x dme distance profile and the run that profile back up the approach and ensure it doesn't cut any limiting steps...the minima might be 750'/2DME which would be a 3xdist+150'...if it cuts a limiting step modify it appropriately. You might end up with a 3xDist+200' profile to say 6 DME and then 3 x dist + 150 after that so instead of looking down at the plate every 1nm and trying to pick out which numbers apply at this second you can simply keep your normal scan going and say to yourself "3x4=1350' - on profile" or if a little low/high adjust your RoD and check again in a mile.
Look at the outbound distance/time and see how much altitude you must lose and have a target RoD in mind...or written on the plate. On this particular chart you go out 7nm followed by a rate 1 turn to intercept the 056 radial inbound (236 on the course bar) at 2130' and commence the final descent. At 180kts that is 2 and a bit minutes to the commencement of the turn and 1 minute in the turn to lose 900'. Call it 3 minutes @ 300'/min to be conservative. You don't want to be way HIGH turning the corner but you also don't want to be flying the last part of the outbound track and the base turn level...although that is preferable to being high.
Another little hint is if the aircraft has a HSI and RMI/CDI track outbound on the RMI/CDI and have the HSI set to the inbound course as soon as you don't need it to track on anymore. I would, all things being equal, track the last 5 nm to the VOR and the entire outbound track on the RMI and have the HSI set to the inbound course long before station passage outbound.
Its all time management...and when it comes to actually flying the approach you want as little distraction from FLYING THE APPROACH as you can manage.
I'll come back with more/clarify anything if you're interested.