A better checklist

[flyingcheesehead]

Jesse asked me for my checklist, and since apparently you can't attach files to a PM, here it is (well, my Archer one anyway). I figured other folks could use it too.

I make my own checklists for every plane I fly. It gets me more familiar with the plane, and I find that there's too much extraneous crap on normal procedures checklists with an airplane, and generally not enough in the emergency procedures. I also added a bunch of IFR-specific stuff (VOR checks, etc.), configurations, V-speeds, and such.

This one is simply exported from Pages to MS Word and I didn't even launch Word to look at it so the formatting might be just a bit off. Also, this is a checklist that works for ME, the way my brain works. You may very well be different, so use this as an example, make your own checklists that work for the way YOU think, and go over them with a CFI. Use at your own risk, blah blah blah. Enjoy.

 

[midlifeflyer]

You have stated very well the reasons for creating your own checklists. I've always created my own also and, if I can get ahold of a manual ahead of time. my very first flight in a new type will be with a working draft version of my checklist for that airplane.

 

[SCCutler]

Performance:
-3 CAIKIASPwrClimbVy¯¯O¯¯ +1076FT+100090 knot climb¯¯O¯¯ +590FT+700Cruise Climb--o-- +5105FT+500Cruise—o— 012524500Cruise Descent0 ¯¯O-- -21252250-500Slow Cruise Descent—o— 01052050-500Apch Level0 __o¯¯ +59020500P.Apch Descent0 __o¯¯ +5901700-500NP Apch Descent¯¯O¯¯ 0901400-1000

Huh? Wass all that mean?

 

[Steve]

You might have a corrupted d/l, Spike. It's an embedded table. It displays correctly for me using Word 2003, fwiw.

Huh? Wass all that mean?

 

[AuntPeggy]

I don't understand column 2 either:
Performance:

[row][cell]-3 C[/cell][cell]AI[/cell][cell]KIAS[/cell][cell]Pwr[/cell][cell]Climb[/cell][/row][row][cell]Vy[/cell][cell]¯¯O¯¯ +10[/cell][cell]76[/cell][cell]FT[/cell][cell]+1000[/cell][/row][row][cell]90 knot climb[/cell][cell] ¯¯O¯¯ +5 [/cell][cell]90[/cell][cell]FT[/cell][cell]+700[/cell][/row][row][cell]Cruise Climb[/cell][cell]--o-- +5[/cell][cell]105[/cell][cell]FT[/cell][cell]+500[/cell][/row][row][cell]Cruise[/cell][cell]—o— 0[/cell][cell]125[/cell][cell]2450[/cell][cell]0[/cell][/row][row][cell]Cruise Descent[/cell][cell]0 ¯¯O-- -2[/cell][cell]125[/cell][cell]2250[/cell][cell]-500[/cell][/row][row][cell]Slow Cruise Descent[/cell][cell]—o— 0[/cell][cell]105[/cell][cell]2050[/cell][cell]-500[/cell][/row][row][cell]Apch Level[/cell][cell]0 __o¯¯ +5[/cell][cell]90[/cell][cell]2050[/cell][cell]0[/cell][/row][row][cell]P.Apch Descent[/cell][cell]0 __o¯¯ +5[/cell][cell]90[/cell][cell]1700[/cell][cell]-500[/cell][/row][row][cell]NP Apch Descent[/cell][cell]¯¯O¯¯ 0[/cell][cell]90[/cell][cell]1400[/cell][cell]-1000[/cell][/row]

 

[jesse]

I don't understand column 2 either:

Attitude indicator indications.

 

[nddons]

Kent, thanks for this.

I particularly like your performance table. I have IR training flight # 3 tonight, and it certainly appears like I need to get to know the appropriate power settings for different conditions of airspeed and pitch for the Skyhawk - things I never thought of as a VFR-only pilot.

 

[ScottM]

Attitude indicator indications.

I knew that, And I guess the numbers such as +5 or -2 are the degrees of climb or descent. What I don't get is the zeros, over scores, under scores, small 'o's, etc. I think he is trying to show what the AI would be indicating but it does not look like any AI I have ever seen.

 

[AdamZ]

Ken, question on the Engine Fire Procedure. You say 79 Kts. I was taught to dive for speed to try and blow it out if possible with enough Alt. 79Kts is kinda slow for that.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I think he is trying to show what the AI would be indicating but it does not look like any AI I have ever seen.

So I guess you don't have an AI that hows nothing but basic ASCII characters, huh?

I don't think I have any trouble reading it. flyingcheesehead, I say "think" because, unless I'm mistaken, the picture for Vy and the 90 kt climb shows the nose of the aircraft =below= the horizon.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Kent, thanks for this.

I particularly like your performance table. I have IR training flight # 3 tonight, and it certainly appears like I need to get to know the appropriate power settings for different conditions of airspeed and pitch for the Skyhawk - things I never thought of as a VFR-only pilot.

You're welcome! And it is VERY helpful when doing the Instrument stuff to know the power settings in advance. With a constant-speed prop, it's pretty much set it and forget it. With fixed-pitch, you'll need to make smaller adjustments. For instance, if you're slowing from cruise to approach level, and your approach level power setting is 2100 RPM, pull the throttle to 2150 or 2200, because as the plane slows the prop will slow as well.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I don't understand column 2 either:
Performance:

[row][cell]-3 C[/cell][cell]AI[/cell][cell]KIAS[/cell][cell]Pwr[/cell][cell]Climb[/cell][/row][row][cell]Vy[/cell][cell]¯¯O¯¯ +10[/cell][cell]76[/cell][cell]FT[/cell][cell]+1000[/cell][/row][row][cell]90 knot climb[/cell][cell] ¯¯O¯¯ +5 [/cell][cell]90[/cell][cell]FT[/cell][cell]+700[/cell][/row][row][cell]Cruise Climb[/cell][cell]--o-- +5[/cell][cell]105[/cell][cell]FT[/cell][cell]+500[/cell][/row][row][cell]Cruise[/cell][cell]—o— 0[/cell][cell]125[/cell][cell]2450[/cell][cell]0[/cell][/row][row][cell]Cruise Descent[/cell][cell]0 ¯¯O-- -2[/cell][cell]125[/cell][cell]2250[/cell][cell]-500[/cell][/row][row][cell]Slow Cruise Descent[/cell][cell]—o— 0[/cell][cell]105[/cell][cell]2050[/cell][cell]-500[/cell][/row][row][cell]Apch Level[/cell][cell]0 __o¯¯ +5[/cell][cell]90[/cell][cell]2050[/cell][cell]0[/cell][/row][row][cell]P.Apch Descent[/cell][cell]0 __o¯¯ +5[/cell][cell]90[/cell][cell]1700[/cell][cell]-500[/cell][/row][row][cell]NP Apch Descent[/cell][cell]¯¯O¯¯ 0[/cell][cell]90[/cell][cell]1400[/cell][cell]-1000[/cell][/row]

I knew that, And I guess the numbers such as +5 or -2 are the degrees of climb or descent. What I don't get is the zeros, over scores, under scores, small 'o's, etc. I think he is trying to show what the AI would be indicating but it does not look like any AI I have ever seen.

So I guess you don't have an AI that hows nothing but basic ASCII characters, huh?

I don't think I have any trouble reading it. flyingcheesehead, I say "think" because, unless I'm mistaken, the picture for Vy and the 90 kt climb shows the nose of the aircraft =below= the horizon.

Ahh, confusion.

It was the closest I could get to a picture of what the AI is doing. The O's and o's are the dot in the middle of the small airplane in the AI. The lines and numbers are particular lines on the AI. For example, on the Vy climb:

[row][cell]Vy[/cell][cell] ¯¯O¯¯ +10 [/cell][cell]76[/cell][cell]FT[/cell][cell]+1000[/cell][/row]

That means that the top of the dot is touching the bottom of the +10 degree line. Another example:

[row][cell]Apch Level[/cell][cell] 0 __o¯¯ +5 [/cell][cell]90[/cell][cell]2050[/cell][cell]0[/cell][/row]

That means that the dot is halfway between the 0 degree and +5 degree pitch lines. Make sense now?

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Ken, question on the Engine Fire Procedure. You say 79 Kts. I was taught to dive for speed to try and blow it out if possible with enough Alt. 79Kts is kinda slow for that.

IIRC, that's straight out of the airplane's emergency procedures, Adam... I don't have the POH with me so I don't know for sure. But the other thing is, if you have a fire, you probably have some fuel going somewhere where it's not supposed to. Blow it out, and it's still going there, and if the vapors get hot enough again, ka-BOOM! As long as you're over landable terrain, I'd think that eliminating the fuel and getting the plane on the ground NOW is the way to go...

 

[2256Q]

Hmmm. Wonder what my problem is? The 10-page plastic-coated checklist riding in the left pocket of my 411, the one Cessna provided, works really well for me.

 

[drizzt76]

Thanks Kent, I made one also for the clubs Archer II but yours is waaaaay better. l also like the power setting table. I hate the aftermarket checklist in our plane.

 

[SCCutler]

You might have a corrupted d/l, Spike. It's an embedded table. It displays correctly for me using Word 2003, fwiw.

Ahh...

...we do not use Word. Open Office usually opens Word stuff (when we are forced, under duress, to receive Word-formatted documents).

When sending things for interchange, we find it a good practice to use RTF file format, thus avoiding the many varying compatibility problems extant between different variants of Word.

 

[Steve]

I suppose your next computer will be a MAC, too........

Ahh...

...we do not use Word. Open Office usually opens Word stuff (when we are forced, under duress, to receive Word-formatted documents).

When sending things for interchange, we find it a good practice to use RTF file format, thus avoiding the many varying compatibility problems extant between different variants of Word.

 

[SCCutler]

I suppose your next computer will be a MAC, too........

Not likely, but I am always open to good ideas.

I have never had any viable reason to abandon WordPerfect, as it is profoundly better than Word at text processing, and does not have designed-in obsolescence like Word.

The fact that it is hundreds less per seat helps, too!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Ahh...

...we do not use Word. Open Office usually opens Word stuff (when we are forced, under duress, to receive Word-formatted documents).

When sending things for interchange, we find it a good practice to use RTF file format, thus avoiding the many varying compatibility problems extant between different variants of Word.

Spike,

Here it is in RTF - But, I may have too much formatting (tables, columns, etc.) for it to work well.

OK, never mind - Forum doesn't allow RTF.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

OK, never mind - Forum doesn't allow RTF.

OK, try this...