Van's Air Force
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Checklist to share
- Thread starter RicoB
- Start date
Roadjunkie1
Well Known Member
Roadjunkie1
Well Known Member
Check list
Once you get yours refined down to what works for you, maybe you can post that so others can work theirs up from these suggestions. Mine is always a work in progress!
Once you get yours refined down to what works for you, maybe you can post that so others can work theirs up from these suggestions. Mine is always a work in progress!
Yes, Great idea. We should all share the great ideas.
I get about the POH, I have that. I am looking for the perfect, convenient to use and well designed one. I am sure there are some excellent ideas floating around here.
jbDC9
Well Known Member
If you want a good checklist that works for you, just write your own; find an example that’s close to what you want, then open a word/doc program and modify it accordingly to fit how you operate.
And honestly, the RV-9 checklist posted above is not a good example to use, no offense Cth6… it’s too long and too detailed; it looks like more of a “do list” than a checklist. My day job B737 checklist is shorter than that. Know your ship, know your basic pilot stuff and come up with a “flow” to get things done, then follow up with a short, basic checklist to check the killer items. Having every detail of starting the engine printed on the list is overkill, you should know how to start the engine or do a run up by now… and with all that extra fluff, pretty soon you’ll gloss over most of it, and then what’s the point of having that overly detailed checklist anyway?
And honestly, the RV-9 checklist posted above is not a good example to use, no offense Cth6… it’s too long and too detailed; it looks like more of a “do list” than a checklist. My day job B737 checklist is shorter than that. Know your ship, know your basic pilot stuff and come up with a “flow” to get things done, then follow up with a short, basic checklist to check the killer items. Having every detail of starting the engine printed on the list is overkill, you should know how to start the engine or do a run up by now… and with all that extra fluff, pretty soon you’ll gloss over most of it, and then what’s the point of having that overly detailed checklist anyway?
Checklist
I have a checklist that I like, I have the same checklist on a standard size piece of paper, the same checklist is printed on both sides, laminated, so no matter how I pick it up there is the checklist and I normally put it on my clipboard then it is easily accessible, for my memory items takeoff, landing or emergency,
G.U.M.P. Gas,Undercarriage,Mixture,Prop,Pump
Jim Skinner RV6A
Exempt but I still need to support the VAF
I have a checklist that I like, I have the same checklist on a standard size piece of paper, the same checklist is printed on both sides, laminated, so no matter how I pick it up there is the checklist and I normally put it on my clipboard then it is easily accessible, for my memory items takeoff, landing or emergency,
G.U.M.P. Gas,Undercarriage,Mixture,Prop,Pump
Jim Skinner RV6A
Exempt but I still need to support the VAF
Scott Hersha
Well Known Member
I have an expanded checklist embossed in plastic in the cockpit - that I almost never refer to. It is also included in the POH that I wrote - that sits on a shelf in my hangar.
Then I have my Quick Reference checklist that is stuck on my instrument panel front and center. These are the “these things can kill me” checklist.
Works for me.
Then I have my Quick Reference checklist that is stuck on my instrument panel front and center. These are the “these things can kill me” checklist.
Works for me.
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I would like to offer that this statement depends on your situation. If you are only flying 1 aircraft all the time then you should be familiar and not need really detailed checklists. But checklists are there to remind you about things you may have forgotten. If you fly multiple aircraft or are a fairly low time pilot then a detailed checklist can be critical to ensuring you are operating that specific aircraft safely. Just something to consider. It is all about your situation and your needs as a pilot to be safe and effective.
Roadjunkie1
Well Known Member
Check lists....
Exactly. They are also there to remind you of things you forget! My new ANR switch, for example....
Or if you have an airplane that you are unfamiliar with....say.....one that is freshly out of your "factory", then a detailed checklist may be more important. If you have been flying a C172, some things on the checklist will be the same or similar but there might be some major differences, if not in the check list, then the order that they occur. The "flow" is different for different aircraft. CANOPY does not show up on a C172 checklist! Step into a new airplane and having that checklist can be reassuring. And help you work your way through getting the new routine down and, eventually, memorized.
The pre-take off checklist for SuzieQ is firmly burned into my memory (as are other parts of it) and I say them out loud to myself and anyone who happens to be in the back seat: CANOPY: DOWN AND LOCKED; SEAT BELTS: LOCKED; BOOST PUMP: ON; FLAPS SET: 20 DEGREES; GAS: RIGHT TANK; RECOGNITION LIGHTS: ON; INSTRUMENTS: GREEN; TIMER: ON.....um....oh, yeah.... ANR: ON
Another thing I find beneficial with a checklist: I will sometimes hand it to my passenger and have them go through the checklist "call and answer" as my "first officer". It makes them feel more like they are actually part of the "crew". And I will usually tell them if they missed an item....
Exactly. They are also there to remind you of things you forget! My new ANR switch, for example....
Or if you have an airplane that you are unfamiliar with....say.....one that is freshly out of your "factory", then a detailed checklist may be more important. If you have been flying a C172, some things on the checklist will be the same or similar but there might be some major differences, if not in the check list, then the order that they occur. The "flow" is different for different aircraft. CANOPY does not show up on a C172 checklist!
Step into a new airplane and having that checklist can be reassuring. And help you work your way through getting the new routine down and, eventually, memorized. The pre-take off checklist for SuzieQ is firmly burned into my memory (as are other parts of it) and I say them out loud to myself and anyone who happens to be in the back seat: CANOPY: DOWN AND LOCKED; SEAT BELTS: LOCKED; BOOST PUMP: ON; FLAPS SET: 20 DEGREES; GAS: RIGHT TANK; RECOGNITION LIGHTS: ON; INSTRUMENTS: GREEN; TIMER: ON.....um....oh, yeah.... ANR: ON
Another thing I find beneficial with a checklist: I will sometimes hand it to my passenger and have them go through the checklist "call and answer" as my "first officer". It makes them feel more like they are actually part of the "crew". And I will usually tell them if they missed an item....
Ed_Wischmeyer
Well Known Member
There's a lot more that goes into a checklist design than will fit here, but some guidelines (in no particular order):
* Do as much as you can (on the checklist) as early as you can on the checklist.
* Your checklist and your cockpit should have been designed together, so that the checklist operations flow smoothly around the cockpit
* Don't forget avionics complexity. For example, I have an ILS checklist for the Garmin G3X that is its own checklist in a side bar
* I have V speeds on a side bar
* Some checklists have procedures (e.g., speeds), some don't
* Sometimes you want to say Pushed In rather than On, for example
* Look out for classical errors, like switching fuel tanks after engine start (that has cost airplanes)
* If there are any things that are unusual about your plane, those can earn their way onto the checklist as reminders, even if they're not steps to take
* Don't be afraid to revise when you find little details to improve. I'm on Rev 30, but then I've updated avionics several times, went to constant speed prop, etc.
* The back of the checklist is a great place for sample weight and balance, tire pressures, things that you use on the ground
* As much as possible, do things in a standard way so that habit patterns for your airplane and other airplanes transfer positively. Avoid negative transfer!
* Do as much as you can (on the checklist) as early as you can on the checklist.
* Your checklist and your cockpit should have been designed together, so that the checklist operations flow smoothly around the cockpit
* Don't forget avionics complexity. For example, I have an ILS checklist for the Garmin G3X that is its own checklist in a side bar
* I have V speeds on a side bar
* Some checklists have procedures (e.g., speeds), some don't
* Sometimes you want to say Pushed In rather than On, for example
* Look out for classical errors, like switching fuel tanks after engine start (that has cost airplanes)
* If there are any things that are unusual about your plane, those can earn their way onto the checklist as reminders, even if they're not steps to take
* Don't be afraid to revise when you find little details to improve. I'm on Rev 30, but then I've updated avionics several times, went to constant speed prop, etc.
* The back of the checklist is a great place for sample weight and balance, tire pressures, things that you use on the ground
* As much as possible, do things in a standard way so that habit patterns for your airplane and other airplanes transfer positively. Avoid negative transfer!
