Ask the Expert: Cockpit Flow Patterns

I received a recent phone call from a fellow who was preparing to attend initial King Air B200 training at the King Air Academy. This man had no previous King Air experience, although he had flown in both the military and airline worlds. He was requesting a copy of the Normal Procedures checklist so that he could become familiar with it prior to class. Specifically, he wanted to learn the “cockpit flows.”

“Actually,” I told him, “we don’t teach flow patterns during initial training. Because you are so new to the airplane, the checklists, by necessity, are used as ‘DO’ lists. Once familiarity is achieved, we then encourage you to develop and use flow patterns and relegate the ‘DO’ list back to its proper CHECK-list status.”

My reply led me to wonder if I was remiss in not placing more emphasis on flows. Yes, the written checklist procedures certainly have a logical flow to them in most cases, but perhaps I should be pointing out that fact more forcefully and hence having the student use the appropriate cockpit flows from an earlier point in the training program.

This article is my attempt to point out the flow patterns that work for me and the patterns that are utilized in most King Air checklist procedures. If you have developed alternate patterns that work satisfactorily for you, great! There is no need to do it exactly the same way … although, in a larger flight department with numerous pilots sharing cockpit duties, standardization is an excellent goal.

Cockpit Preflight

For the “first flight of the day” cockpit check, I start at the pilot’s left subpanel and work myself left to right, moving down the power quadrant and pedestal when the flow reaches them, including checking the landing gear manual extension handle(s). After the flow reaches the right sidewall, it jumps back to the fuel panel on the left sidewall to conduct those somewhat elaborate steps. The battery gets switched on as a part of the fuel panel tests, so once those tests are completed, another left-to-right flow is conducted to include those items for which electric power is required. Once all checks are completed, the battery gets switched off and as I exit the cockpit it’s a good time to check the cabin for neatness, cleanliness, and being stocked with the appropriate supplies. The emergency exit(s) merit a quick inspection, too.

Before Starting Engines

Again the flow pattern is generally left-to-right. However, the battery switch – far left – is not turned on until the first sweep is finished. Then, with power on, voltage and fuel quantity can be checked, followed by the actual engine starting procedure.

After Starting

Again (are we forming a pattern here?), the flow is left-to-right, beginning at the fuel panel for those models that require activation of electric transfer pumps (LJ-series). Depending on your model, generator output may be monitored either on the pilot’s left subpanel or in the overhead panel. If it is the latter, then my flow jumps up to that location after the left-to-right sweep and after a bottom-to-top scan of the engine gauges.

Before Takeoff

Typically, the experienced King Air pilots will conduct much or all of this procedure while taxiing to the active runway. How embarrassing it is, however, to miss a turn or to deviate off of the pavement if not enough attention is paid to the taxiing task at hand! It’s always best to relegate the Before Takeoff procedure to a less-busy time if there is any doubt about successfully handling the divided attention it demands.

This procedure does not lend itself well to the left-to-right flow. Instead, I start on the pedestal and work forward and upward. My attention first goes to the pressurization controller to set it properly and to verify that the nearby switches (typically, pressurization control switch, rudder boost switch, if applicable, and often electric trim switch) are positioned properly. Next, my attention gets directed forward and upward for trim tab wheels and the flap handle, followed by the always critical control freedom check. How did our flow jump from the pedestal to the control wheel? Well, it did; the thought being that trim tabs and flaps are types of aircraft controls, so let’s finish up with the “big three” flight controls: Ailerons, Elevators, and Rudder.

Now return to the cockpit center and set up the avionics as you wish, especially programming the GPS unit with proper inputs. As we now direct our attention away from the cockpit center area, a little “jumping” is usually necessary. On the far right, we need to verify that pneumatic pressure and suction are okay, but then rechecking the fuel quantity on the far left is important enough that I always include it here, as well as in the Before Starting procedure. Obviously, that means a jump from one side to the other.

Carefully making sure that all engine instruments are ready for takeoff, all flight instruments are working properly, and with the proper altimeter setting having been input, may also require a bit of jumping.

Giving a takeoff briefing to the other pilot – or even to yourself, when flying alone – is always needed and desirable. Finally – and I cannot over-emphasize the importance of this – make sure the power lever friction locks are adjusted as you want them, not too loose! Too many King Airs have come to grief when the friction had been loosened by another pilot or mechanic but the current pilot did not tighten it back to the level he expected. As soon as the pilot moves his hand off of the power levers to retract the landing gear, both levers can and will migrate aft! This power lever migration also turns off autofeather! Definitely not good!

Runway Lineup

This procedure lends itself very well to a right-to-left flow. Start on the copilot’s left subpanel to turn on the bleed air (on a colder day, it would have been turned on after starting), then sweep to the left to turn on exterior lights and ice protection devices. You finish the right-to-left sweep with attention to the ice vanes and auto-ignition.

And what is this “attention”? Well, if departing into a low overcast with temperatures approaching 5°C, you would want the vanes extended and auto-ignition armed. Otherwise, you might as well retract the vanes and leave the auto-ignition alone. I know, I know: Most of you arm auto-ignition for all flights and if that makes you happy, have at it. But there are only two POHs – straight 200s and F90s – that direct you to do that … and they’re out-of-date. All of the more recent POHs put auto-ignition into its correct “As Required” status.

After Takeoff

The first four steps of this procedure comprise what I call “The Y Pattern.” Landing gear, up; landing and taxi lights, off; flaps, up; yaw damper, on. In the original King Airs with the landing gear control on the copilot’s left subpanel and the yaw damper control usually on the pedestal, reaching for these items in sequence did somewhat resemble the three tips and the middle point of the letter “Y.” Now, with most King Airs having the gear handle on the pilot’s side, and the yaw damper sometimes on the center subpanel and often up near the glareshield, the Y gets greatly distorted! However, it still serves as a good reminder of the first four steps.

Allow me to interject this: A missed approach or a balked landing can be thought of as the start of another flight … as it is! So use the Y pattern soon after you’ve started the unexpected climb to get back in the proper procedural groove.

The remaining steps of the After Takeoff procedure do not particularly lend themselves to a single flow. Use what works for you, but don’t close the page on this particular chapter of the flight until the written list has been reviewed – used as it should be, as a CHECK-list – to make sure nothing was overlooked. Although I do not believe it is in the manufacturer’s checklist, please include a peek outside in your After Takeoff flow pattern. It is important to notice the leaking oil streaks from the cowling or the loose fuel cap or unsecured cowling latch early, so that a return can be made to get the problem corrected.

Cruise, Descent, Before Landing

Again I suggest using whatever flow works well for you and then following up with the written list to CHECK that nothing was overlooked. A little memory aid that I use, after putting the landing gear handle down, is to verify its position with the indicator lights by seeing and stating, “Three Green; no Red.” But the “Three Green” remind me that I now need “Three White” too – the landing and taxi lights. Now there are two more green lights I am looking for – the ice vane extended annunciators. Yes, the lights don’t exist with the old manual-only ice vane handles, but it’s still a useful reminder: “Three green, three white, two green.”

Of course we have all been taught and have probably used some variation of GUMP as a landing checklist: Gas, Undercarriage, Mixtures, Props. It even works in King Airs. Gas? Usually not much to do there. Undercarriage? Three green; no red! Mixtures? Well, some of us like to make sure the condition levers are set where we want them, especially for a short field landing where using high idle is the norm. Same with props. A NORMAL King Air landing is most commonly done with the prop levers remaining in the cruise setting until the propeller speed decreases … comes off of the governor. Depending on the model, this may happen early in the flare (300-series) or not until after touchdown (four-blade 90s and 100s). On the other hand, the instant the landing becomes ABNORMAL, I vote for moving the prop levers fully forward much earlier, maybe about the time the gear goes down. What’s abnormal? The two very obvious answers are a no-flap or single-engine landing. Less obvious ones are (1) a precision approach with weather right near minimums; (2) an approach and landing through very gusty, high winds; and (3) a truly short-field situation, where immediate and maximum use of reverse is desired.

Maybe we should change the standard GUMP to a new version: GUMPPY. The extra P and Y? The P is for a check of the pressurization system’s differential pressure (∆P) gauge to verify that it is very low or at zero on short final. The Y is a reminder to turn off the yaw damper. That is a fantastic aid for passenger ride comfort in flight, but it makes steering control horrible when taxiing. Most of us will admit to forgetting it a time or two and the resultant taxiing problems led us to place the needed emphasis on it in the future!

After Landing

My flow here is the exact opposite of the right-to-left Runway Lineup procedure. Going now in a left-to-right pattern, we are “undoing” what we did when taking the runway for departure. Turn off the auto-ignition if it is on, kill the ice protection and unnecessary lighting, reset the pitch trim and retract the flaps as we flow across the pedestal, then turn off the bleed air switches and perhaps the cabin temp mode selector as the flow completes to the right.

“What’s that?” you say. “Why do we want to kill the air conditioning now? Shouldn’t we wait until shutdown for better passenger comfort?”

No, not really. Notice I said “perhaps” kill the mode selector at this time. If we have a particularly lengthy taxi ahead of us to the FBO ramp, leave the mode selector in “auto,” so the AC can keep running. But when you estimate you are about a minute away from engine shutdown, then (1) make sure the vent blower switch is in low or high (not auto), and (2) move the mode selector to “off.” With the AC no longer working, the electrical load and RH engine accessory load (200- and 300-series, that have the RH engine-driven compressor) are reduced and ITT drops significantly, maybe 20 degrees or more. Yet, with the vent blower continuing to flow air through the still cool ducts, no passenger can even notice that the AC has ceased. Having your engines at their coolest possible ITT for the last minute before shutdown is a very good thing that Pratt & Whitney directs us to do!

Shutdown

Ah, at last … almost done! While still taxiing, I try to kill the things that are no longer needed and that won’t be “hurt” by turning them off while the airplane is still in motion. This includes the transfer fuel pumps on the C90-type series, the oxygen control and the coffee bar heater. Having already reduced the load associated with the air conditioning a minute prior to shutdown and by not jockeying the power levers while maneuvering on the ramp, we’ll be ready to kill the engines as soon as we stop. But first, while stopped, a left-to-right flow kills the avionics master and the inverter, remaining light switches, and the vent blower switch now moves to the “auto” or “off” position.

Here’s a little frustration that arises when we flow left-to-right or right-to-left in the After Starting or Shutdown procedures. The whole reason for the avionics master switch is to be able to conveniently keep the radios offline while DC and AC power is being created or destroyed. So, when turning the Avionics ON, it important to make sure that the generators (DC power) and inverter (AC power) are already operating. Vice versa, at shutdown, make sure the avionics master goes off before killing the inverter or the generators. Depending on your exact King Air model, that means your left-to-right or right-to-left flow may need to be interrupted when it comes to the inverter and avionics master switches.

So what’s the “bottom line” that concludes this lengthy article? I think it is this: Realize that when you are a newcomer to the King Air, that the written procedures, by necessity, become DO lists, in which you read and do the steps as presented. But, with experience and confidence, I hope you will utilize flow patterns, commonsense, and previous flying experience to structure flow patterns and procedures that work best for you. However, recognizing that we are human and that humans are prone to making mistakes, never close the page on a particular chapter of your flight without referencing the written list to verify that nothing has been overlooked.

If you have a question you’d like Tom to answer, please send it to Editor Kim Blonigen at kblonigen@cox.net.