What’s your preflight workflow?

Peter, my workflow is largely irrelevant irrelevant to those on here as I fly a jet.

The day before

File flight plan, check NOTAMS

The day

Check weather
Check W&B/Performance

Interesting thread. As a VFR only pilot who’s so far only flown locally (basically “burger-runs”, though I never eat anything on these), my preparations are rather simple (I despise the word “workflow” because it is often used by self-important “business types” in Germany in its original english, without the proper context).

A month before the flight
I identify suitable dates for flying in that month by finding a date that:

• I don’t have to work on
• My wife has to work on
• My children can go to kindergarten as usual on that day
• It isn’t a weekend.

These rare dates occur about once every 2 or 3 month.

A week before the flight
If the conditions above are still met and my wife doesn’t veto me going to fly for other reasons, I reserve the plane with the rental company. The company I currently use has had 100% availability on my chosen dates so far, luckily.

Three days before the flight
I check the weather forecast text on the DWD app, to get an idea if VFR flying will be possible on the chosen day

The evening before the flight
I check the weather again and read the NOTAMs if I feel like it

Day of the flight

• I look outside the window to decide if the weather is still flyable, and consult the METARs/TAFs for my homebase EDDV. I also look at the weather radar on the DWD app and decide in which direction to fly.
• I then grab my flight bag with VFR maps, license, medical, Bose A20 headset and something to drink, and drive to the airport (about 25-30 mins drive)
• At the rental company I get the keys for the airplane, print out the approach charts of the chosen destination airfield (I don’t own any VFR plates myself) and go to security control
• Once at the aircraft I do a walkaround and then follow the checklist meticulously. Usually I won’t have flown for 2 or 3 months prior, so I have to do everything “by the book” as if from scratch.
• Once the preflight is complete, a last look at the weather and off we go…

I am sure Jason has a process, but if he posted it, I must have missed it

Jason didn’t say HE didn’t have a process. He said he thought few people have a process.
As a VFR, retired, PPL I watch the weather, and decide at last moment whether to fly, and to where. Tomorrow has been likely for several days.
PPR etc will be after I decide where, tomorrow.

Peter wrote:

Not entirely sure I would have written that, especially if flying a jet

Well, you didn’t and you don’t.

Why would you write that? What is your issue with what I wrote?

Not entirely sure I would have written that, especially if flying a jet

Peter wrote:

I think that because PPL training, and equally IR training, are deficient in training people to fly from A to B, if you asked 10 people you would get 10 different answers

That is probably why so few responded. Everybody does something different. Also, at this time of the year, a lot of people are only just “waking up”…

Getting 10 different responses is fine. I think the greater problem, and more likely reason for so few responses, is that few people have a process.

I think that because PPL training, and equally IR training, are deficient in training people to fly from A to B, if you asked 10 people you would get 10 different answers

That is probably why so few responded. Everybody does something different. Also, at this time of the year, a lot of people are only just “waking up”…

It varies according to the trip I am doing. Here is the full checklist I have, with non flying related bits (e.g. toothpaste) removed:

Weeks before

Airport – Notams
Airport – PPR/PNR
Airport – Avgas

Days before

Weather – MSLP/Windy.com
Airport – PPR/PNR recheck
GAR
Book hotels & confirm they got it
Current data
– laptop
– T2 tablet
– T705 tablet
– KLN94 database
Charge everything
Oxygen cylinders filled
Handheld radio charged
Develop airway routes
Routepacks on laptop

Day before

Weather
– MSLP
– Cloud tops
– Long TAFs
– SigWx
Notams
File flight plans
Print enroute charts
Print approach plates
Aircraft
– full tanks
– left outside for early morning departure
– call re airport PPR for early departure
Book taxi ?

Pack
– passport
– pilot license
– driving license
– cash
– AIR BP card
– main laptop + USB SSD
– T705
– VFR charts
– phone power pack
– EuroGA leaflets
– spare batteries (charged)
– 2nd oxygen cylinder

Morning of flight

Weather
– TAFs/METARs
– IR image
– Sferics
– Weather radar

Phone departure they have the flight plan
GO

Obviously for a short trip much of the above is skipped.

For an IFR trip, my workflow would be this :

Few days before :
- General weather tendancy (sun, cloud, rain, storm, snow, etc.)
- Check AIP (opening hours, fuel avail, etc.)
- NOTAM for departure and destination airfield (planned airport/runway closure, navaid U/S, parking PPR, fuel avail, etc.)
- Mail to the airport manager to see if I missed any constraint (opening hours or code to obtain for accessing the restricted area, Parking restriction, etc.)
- Custom if needed
- Route planning via autorouter (route planning, fuel planning, WB, etc.)
- checking Approach plates to see any particularity

Day before :
- General weather tendancy
- NOTAM for DEP, ARR, ALT, ENR.
- Aircraft status (hourly maintenance, remaining fuel, technical status)
- Filing FlightPlan
- Flightbag load and electronic equipment charge (Ipad + External battery + Backup VHF + Lights + Extra AA batteries for Headset)

D-Day :
- general weather tendancy
- autorouter briefing for weather (charts, Metar, Gramet, SkewT, etc.)
- if weather is not perfect : windy, meteox, jeppesen icing, sat24 and sat images.
- export Fplan to Skydemon and JeppFD.

For short notice weather update :
Aeroweb (aviation section of METEOFRANCE) / Aeroweather / Autorouter telegram bot / Skydemon Weather utilities