How to Brief Simulator Approaches Like a Captain

The runway is in sight on the visual system, the motion platform is responding beneath you, and the aircraft is descending through the final miles. That is not the moment to decide what happens if the approach becomes unstable. Knowing how to brief simulator approaches gives your flight a clear plan before workload rises, whether you are stepping into an Airbus cockpit for the first time or refreshing your instrument procedures.

An approach briefing is not a speech to memorise. It is a practical agreement between pilots - or between you and your instructor - about what you expect to fly, what can catch you out, and when you will stop the approach and go around. In a high-fidelity A320 simulator, that preparation makes every button press, callout and decision feel more purposeful.

How to Brief Simulator Approaches Before Descent

Start early enough to think clearly. In airline operations, crews normally brief while workload is still manageable, often before the descent becomes busy. In a simulator session, your instructor may set the aircraft up close to the arrival so you can focus on the important parts. Even then, take a moment to look at the chart, identify the runway and say the plan aloud.

First, establish the big picture: airport, runway, approach type and likely landing direction. A useful opening might be: “We are planning the ILS to runway 23, with the published missed approach available, and we expect to land unless the approach is unstable.” It is short, direct and immediately puts the flight in context.

Then check the weather and operational conditions. Wind direction and strength affect the crosswind component and may influence your choice of runway. Visibility, cloud base and rain matter because they change how soon you expect to see the runway environment. In a simulator, an instructor can add turbulence, low cloud, windshear or a wet runway. Treat those elements as operational information, not cinematic effects.

For a visual approach, discuss where you expect to intercept final, the intended descent profile and what visual references you will use. For an instrument approach, identify the navigation source, final approach course, glideslope or vertical path, and the key altitude restrictions. If it is an RNAV approach, be especially clear about the coded procedure and any barometric or satellite-navigation requirements.

The aim is not to recite every line of a chart. It is to spot the details that shape your decisions.

Build the approach in the aircraft

In an Airbus-style flow, the briefing should connect directly to the setup in the Flight Management and Guidance System. Confirm that the correct destination, arrival, approach and runway have been selected. Cross-check the route against the chart, particularly the transition, initial approach fix and any discontinuities that need attention.

Next, verify the approach frequencies or navigation data as applicable. On an ILS, check that the localiser course is correct and that the expected identifier is available. For an RNAV approach, confirm the final approach course and that the navigation display tells the same story as the chart. The simulator is a safe place to learn these checks, but the habit should remain disciplined.

Brief the landing configuration too. Consider the selected flap setting, autobrake level and reverse thrust plan. There is no single answer for every scenario. A long, dry runway with light winds may support a lower autobrake setting, while a shorter or contaminated runway changes the margins. In a training session, your instructor may ask you to explain why you chose a setting rather than simply select one.

Set or confirm the decision altitude or minimum descent altitude, then identify the missed approach altitude. These are among the most important numbers in the briefing. The decision altitude tells you when an ILS approach must either continue with the required visual references or become a go-around. The missed approach altitude tells you where to climb if that decision is made.

Brief the Missed Approach Before You Need It

The go-around is often the most valuable part of a simulator approach. It tests aircraft handling, mode awareness and your ability to act decisively when the landing no longer meets the plan.

State the missed approach in plain language. Identify the initial climb altitude, the first track or heading requirement, and any turn or hold. If the procedure requires a turn at a specific altitude, say it. If terrain, airspace or a nearby runway makes the departure direction significant, give that point the attention it deserves.

In the A320, the immediate flying action is commonly remembered as TOGA, pitch and track. But a good briefing goes beyond a memory prompt. Know what you expect the flight directors and autothrust to do, what flap retraction sequence you intend to follow, and when you will clean up the aircraft. Your instructor can freeze the simulator at key moments, allowing you to see how quickly a missed approach can become demanding.

Also agree your trigger points. Going around is the right call if the aircraft is not stabilised by the required gate, if speed or descent rate is outside acceptable limits, if the runway is not adequately visible at minima, or if the approach becomes unsafe for any other reason. In a simulator, it is tempting to force a landing because the runway is only pixels away. Professional discipline means choosing the go-around early.

Keep the Briefing Relevant to the Scenario

A full airline briefing can be detailed, but simulator time is valuable. Match the depth of your briefing to the session objective. If you are enjoying a first Airbus experience, concentrate on the runway, weather, approach type, target speed, minima and what a go-around feels like. That gives you enough structure to take command without turning the session into a lecture.

If you are a trainee or licensed pilot using the simulator to prepare for recurrent work, go further. Include threat and error management, automation strategy, raw-data expectations, alternate considerations and any likely system failures. You may wish to brief an engine failure after take-off followed by a return, a localiser-only approach, or a go-around from a low-visibility ILS.

The same approach can feel completely different depending on the threat. A calm daylight visual arrival asks you to manage energy and positioning. A gusty crosswind ILS at night asks for tighter instrument discipline. A non-precision approach with a late runway sighting tests altitude awareness and patience. The chart may be unchanged, but the briefing should not be.

Use a simple captain’s flow

A concise flow prevents the briefing from becoming unfocused. Work through the destination and runway, weather, approach type, navigation setup, altitude constraints, landing performance, minima, missed approach and threats. Speak naturally rather than reading word-for-word.

For example: “We have runway 05, ILS approach, wind from the right at 18 knots with gusts. We will intercept from the west, capture the localiser then glideslope, and plan flap full with medium autobrake. Decision altitude is set, missed approach is straight ahead to the published altitude before the turn. Main threat is the crosswind, so if we are not stable, we go around.”

That is enough to create a shared mental picture. Your instructor knows what you intend to do, and you have given yourself a set of gates to monitor as the aircraft closes on the runway.

Turn Each Approach Into Better Flying

After landing or going around, take two minutes to debrief. Did the aircraft capture the modes you expected? Were you ahead of the descent profile? Did you spot the runway at the point you predicted? If something felt rushed, identify whether the problem came from late setup, unclear priorities or an incomplete briefing.

At Simulator Adventures, the full replica Airbus A320 cockpit, genuine sidesticks, 220-degree HD visuals and 6-axis motion system make these decisions feel remarkably close to the real workload. The value is not only the thrill of touching down in a commercial airliner. It is the confidence that comes from seeing a well-briefed plan hold together when the conditions change.

Before your next session, choose one approach you want to own: a clean ILS, a challenging crosswind visual, or a go-around at minima. Brief it clearly, fly it with intent, and let the simulator show you where your captaincy becomes sharper.