Binding Checklists

Damn you guys checklist are huge.

Here would be my example C172 checklist
Preflight and before take off

External inspection..... Complete
Fuel...... Gallons__ Time__
Avionics..... Set
transponder.....On
Runup..... Complete
Controls...... Checked
Mixture.... checked


Landing check..
Fuel ...... both
Mixture...... checked

Then have a QRC for emergency or abnormal procedures.

Checklist are for safety of flight items not a how to fly book.

Why does most preflight checklist include every single thing you do on preflight, how to start an engine and how to do a runup, or how to fly the aircraft in a climb/cruise/descent.

If its not safety of flight related or something unique to the aircraft why is it on the list.


I think we make these checklist for students as a read and do method teaching them to fly then we just roll with that for the rest of their GA life.

Create a flow then back it up with a checklist that prompts those items.

From after takeoff to power off here's all the stuff on the jet

Pressurization set
exterior lights set
altimeters set
arrival briefing complete

Gear.... down
flaps....0-45
Crossfeed off
yaw damper ... off

Emergency light off
APU off
fuel pumps off
batteries off
GPU off

The only long part is the before start checklist which is a lot of paperwork and performance stuff. Anything related to actually operating the aircraft is super short as seen above. You could probably put the Before takeoff to power down checklist on a 3x5 notecard.
 
Story I've told before. I was doing transition training for a pilot moving from a 172 to a 182. Time after time...

Transitioning after replacing most of our panel is one of the reasons I had six versions. Some of them, anyway. Some were typos. :)

Anything I was consistently forgetting to do in the new avionics got added for a while. They later got removed.

Not safety of flight items, but they were added to get that “damn I forgot” reaction for a few flights until I didn’t miss them anymore.

New toys, new flows. :) You can play with the Garmin sim on the ground ad nauseam, but integrating it at the right times with the rest of the cockpit — I always found a couple things that could have been done at a better time.

With two different laser printers in the house and a sheet cutter in the office closet, whipping out a change is less than 5 minutes at home and one to re-stuff the pages at the hangar.
 
Back
Top