Making a List, Checking It Twice

FLYING Staff

Friday, April 10, 2009 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Checklists are fundamental for aviation safety, helping pilots prevent errors and avoid dangerous or embarrassing incidents during all phases of flight.
While checklists can manifest in various forms—from traditional paper lists to using the aircraft's panel or airframe—their consistent, "religious" and diligent application is paramount.
Complacency and distractions are significant risks, as illustrated by numerous anecdotes where neglecting checklists led to critical oversights, such as forgotten cowl plugs, unremoved towbars, or gear-up landings.
Pilots must resist the tendency to become less rigorous with checklists as familiarity grows, maintaining diligence and reviewing steps, especially after interruptions or when performing tasks out of sequence.

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Picture this. I’m sitting in the right seat of Richard Collins’ Cessna 210 about to give him his flight review (née Biennial Flight Review, BFR). I’ll admit I’m a bit intimidated. I’d really like to be able to make the review have some value for Richard, but I know that the idea I can actually find something to correct is as likely as my winning the Red Bull Air Race tour. But then as he gets ready to start the engine, I think, aha, I’ve found something to gig him on!

As we buckled our seat belts and settled in, I noticed he didn’t get out a checklist. I restrained myself from pumping my fist in the air in victory, but I did smile smugly to myself. “I notice,” I said, “you’re not using a checklist. It’s important to use a checklist so you don’t miss anything,” I said, sounding more pompous than I intended.