Appendix C:The NATOPS Brief

APPENDIX C

THE NATOPS BRIEF

C100. AN OVERVIEW

The NATOPS Briefing Guide is a general purpose format used to discuss the majority of

contingencies or emergency considerations that might arise in the course of a normal flight. Use

of the NATOPS brief is not unique to the T-34C aircraft or to the Naval Air Training Command,

but finds application in every aspect of naval aviation.

Preparing the Brief. The content of the brief includes those details relevant to communications,

weather, navigation/flight planning and aircraft emergencies that are necessary for the safe and

orderly conduct of a particular flight. Use the published briefing guide to organize the

information you want to convey and amplify it as required.

No briefing is intended to be all-inclusive. Briefings should be tailored to the mission at hand;

i.e., a briefing for a Formation hop would involve much additional detail that would not be

relevant to a Contact briefing. Additionally, those missions that intend to take the aircraft into

IMC weather would include crew coordination specifics that would not be covered in a Contact

briefing except as a matter of contingency.

Crew Coordination. A fresh buzzword in naval aviation recently popularized because of the

number of incidents or mishaps that have occurred without it and which could have easily been

avoided with a little more of it. A professionally prepared NATOPS brief is step one toward

maximum crew coordination and efficient mission completion.

Use of Standard Operating Procedures. Reference to Standard Operating Procedures or

published regulations is highly encouraged during NATOPS briefings to avoid lengthy

dissertations, provided that all members of the flight are thoroughly familiar with the procedures.

NATOPS itself is founded on the premise of training and operations standardization for

maximum combat readiness.

Any questions? An often overlooked, but perhaps most important, segment of the NATOPS

briefing period which should be included in the conclusion of every brief. Use this period to

clarify SOP or other details that may be pertinent to the assigned mission. The members of the

flight that are being briefed should hold questions until the conclusion of the brief to the greatest

extent possible. The enclosed pages are provided as an example or guide in preparing a

NATOPS brief for Contact operations. It is admittedly wordy and intended for use with local

Standard Operating Procedures.

The T-34C aircraft is inherently reliable. The odds of any one of these contingencies arising are

slim, but with a proper NATOPS brief, you will be prepared to respond confidently and correctly

should such a situation actually occur.

THE NATOPS BRIEF C-1