Avoid common automation surprises by focusing on critical flight priorities during complex instrument approaches. [Credit: Max Trescott]
Key Takeaways:
Pilots should "stay ahead of the airplane" by meticulously planning the "next two things," focusing on specific button pushes and prioritizing critical flight actions like achieving target headings, altitudes, and approach courses.
While proactive setup is beneficial, premature or incorrect activation of automation features can cause "automation surprises," leading to loss of flight guidance and complex recovery, as seen with early approach activation.
Crucially, pilots must continuously monitor the aircraft's actual performance against primary flight priorities, even after setting automation, to prevent errors like inadvertent altitude deviations.
Pilots are taught to “stay ahead of the airplane,” but there’s relatively little guidance on exactly what that means and how to do it. Years ago, a high-time CFII asked me if I knew the most important thing in instrument flying. I don’t recall my answer, but his was brilliant.
He said the most important thing was the “next two things.”
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Max Trescott is the host of the Aviation News Talk podcast, which focuses on GA and safety. He’s the author of Max Trescott’s G1000 and Perspective Glass Cockpit Handbook and another book on the G3000. He was inducted into NAFI’s Flight Instructor Hall of Fame in 2026 and earned the 2008 National CFI of the Year.
![Avoid common automation surprises by focusing on critical flight priorities during complex instrument approaches. [Credit: Max Trescott]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_2341.jpg)
