Been screwing up a lot lately. Help please

Some of the planes I fly have a 1 or 2 item to do on certain emergency checklist, no memory items as well, because it is just not critical for flight.

A funny one to me is on the Navajo: Pilot and crew access door comes open in flight: The memory item is: Fly the airplane. Well duh, if the door pops open it will do that right at rotation. When working on short strips there is not enough runway left to land on to stop and close the door. But I digress, lawyers need something to do....:lol::lol::lol:
 
Establish a flow, then do a checklist. They work together.
 
I've really been making dumb mistakes lately.

* didn't run GUMPS and almost killed my engine on approach
* didn't set altimeter for night landings and was 200 feet below where I thought
* took off leaned without full mixture

I'm instrument rated and current for IPC. I'm pretty proficient with it too. My flying has been solid lately but these are too big to ignore. Each was isolated; they were spaced out over different days. But WTF?!? Any ideas? What do I do?

1. Flow then checklist - did you even do a run-up? Taking off leaned would be nearly impossible (especially in my area).
2. Gumps on at least base and final.
3. Altimeter to field altitude at engine start
 
On one of the airframes at the company there technically no memory items.

At ASA the 200 had around 16-18 memory items later reduced to less than 8-10, and 3 of them all dealt with the 3 smoke scenarios. Dumbing down I guess.
 
At ASA the 200 had around 16-18 memory items later reduced to less than 8-10, and 3 of them all dealt with the 3 smoke scenarios. Dumbing down I guess.
On the 200 we don't really have any. We have an immediate action item card which is kind of like memory items. On the 900 we have some memory items.
 
On the 200 we don't really have any. We have an immediate action item card which is kind of like memory items. On the 900 we have some memory items.

Yeah even ASA finally eliminated many of the memory procedures.
 
Silly question, when you say checklist, Is it physical or is it in your brain? I run GUMPS, but by talking out loud. When you say check list does everyone have a small pack of slips with it written out?
I'm not sure what you mean by "a small pack of slips." My normal operations checklists are on two sides of a kneeboard size document with readable fonts and lots of white space.

As to the rest. Personally, I think memory is the poorest and the most likely to break down, even if assisted by mnemonics. The other downside to not using a written checklist is creating a habit of not using it. I've told the story in other threads of the pilot transitioning from a 172 to a 182 who repeatedly neglected the cowl flaps. Told he was missing something, he looked all around the cockpit, except at the checklist sitting on the glareshield in his line of sight. He had gotten so used to not using it, it was as though it didn't even exist. Consider the effect of that in the stresses of a real emergency.

I think the best combination is a good flow backed up by a short written checklist, both of which are consistently applied in all phases of flight. It's consistency that creates habits (both good and bad) and habits (both good and bad) are hard to break.
 
I'm just a student, but at one point I was experiencing being "not with it" in general that is very unusual for me.
I know people that always forget things, keys, phones, etc. when they visit and leave have to come back for them, or do things haphazard. I've never been that way, I instinctively do systems, keys in one or two places, mental checklist "do I have my phone, keys, house keys?" And when I organize or do things I tend to work out efficient ways to combine tasks...normally. But there was a period of time where I was just not able to concentrate well. It passed, but in that time (and we all have "those days" from time to time...when I get my cert. I definitely won't fly on days I feel like I'm not with it) I felt really slow, and distracted.

So I'm wondering, other than when flying, the three incidents you had, have you been also noticing being out of it and distracted in everyday life?

That splits up the diagnoses. Either it is a general malaise, a period where you are not up to par, in general health, OR it is only noticeable when flying.

If it is only when flying, I thought the same as some others here, can it be that since you have been flying so much lately you are getting complacent? I really don't understand why you aren't using actual checklists.

Again, student here with not much practical experience, but at our school we have a laminated little book of checklist and emergency procedures. We are required to go through the checklists. I don't know how others do it, but other than the standard inspection, before taxi, run up, before takeoff, we also have "before airwork" and several others, and before landing approach as well. I believe it would have uncovered every one of the three mistakes you had. It seems you are getting a kind of blind spot (if this isn't general, only flying) about procedures?

If it were me, I think I would take a little time off of flying, try again in a week or two and see if it helped.
 
@LongRoadBob, I'm one of those who habitually forgets keys, clothing, etc, but it has not translated to the cockpit where I tend to be more focused than in real life.

Kudos to your flight school for insisting on checklist use. But here's what I think happenes in much of the US. As a group, I think we tend to be generally less structured.

At some point, the student in a 152 or 172 or Cherokee learns how simple the airplanes are and the before landing checklist is pretty much Mixture plus carb heat or boost pump for models that have those. Flaps and power become as much a part of basic flying as moving the yoke right to turn right. Cruise? Set the power and don't exceed redline. Maybe lean the mixture.

Who needs a checklist for one or two items? Or so the thinking goes, and the instructor is happy the student has "graduated" to a flow pattern. But one unintended result is the loss of checklist discipline, and that gets carried over.
 
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