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Prepare an operational briefing checklist

flight dispatcherspilotsoperations officers

Purpose

What this workflow does

Builds a repeatable checklist of what a briefing for a given route or operation type should cover, so preparation is consistent rather than dependent on how much time you had.

Timing

When it is useful

When you brief the same operation regularly and want a stable structure, or when preparing for an operation type that is new to you.

Method

Step by step

  1. 01Define the operation precisely: type, route character, aircraft category and who is being briefed.
  2. 02Generate the checklist structure with the prompt below.
  3. 03Compare the result against your company's operations manual and remove anything that conflicts with it.
  4. 04Add the company-specific items the model cannot know. This is usually the most valuable half of the checklist.
  5. 05Use the checklist to gather information from official sources. The checklist tells you what to look up; it never supplies the answer.

Copy and use

The prompt

I need a briefing preparation checklist for the following operation.

- Operation type: [DOMESTIC / FLAG / SUPPLEMENTAL / CHARTER / TRAINING]
- Route character: [SHORT HAUL / LONG HAUL / OVERWATER / MOUNTAINOUS / REMOTE]
- Aircraft: [TYPE OR CATEGORY]
- Who is being briefed: [FLIGHT CREW / OPERATIONS TEAM / TRAINEE DISPATCHER]
- Anything specific to this operation: [NOTES]

Produce a checklist of what the briefing should COVER, organised into sections such as weather, NOTAMs and airport status, aircraft status and limitations, fuel and payload, route and airspace, alternates, threats and mitigations, and communication and contingency arrangements.

For each checklist item:
- State what needs to be established.
- State which official source the answer must come from, for example the current TAF, the NOTAM, the operations specifications, the MEL, the aircraft flight manual, or the operations manual.
- State what would make that item a go or no-go concern.

Rules:
- Produce a checklist of questions to answer, never the answers themselves.
- Do not supply any weather, NOTAM, performance or regulatory value.
- Flag any item where the correct content depends on company procedures you cannot know.
- Note where requirements differ between domestic, flag and supplemental operations.

Your input

What you must provide

  • The operation type and route character.
  • The aircraft type or category.
  • Who the briefing is for.
  • Company-specific requirements you already know must appear.

Before you rely on it

Verification steps

  • Reconcile the checklist against your company operations manual; the manual wins in any conflict.
  • Confirm the regulatory items match the subpart that actually governs the operation.
  • Fill every item from the official source named, not from the model.
  • Have an experienced colleague review the checklist before it is used operationally.

Boundaries

Aviation safety limitations

  • The checklist is a preparation aid. It is not an approved company checklist and carries no authority.
  • The model cannot know your operations specifications, your MEL or your company procedures.
  • Never let the model populate a briefing item with a value. It tells you what to look up; official sources tell you the answer.

Verify before use · AI-generated information must always be verified against current regulations, approved manuals, official weather products and company procedures.

Related lesson

Destination alternate requirements and the 1-2-3 rule

When a domestic IFR flight needs an alternate listed on the release, how the ceiling and visibility test is applied, and how alternate minimums differ from the test itself.

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