The pilot’s operating handbook (POH) or airplane flight manual (AFM) checklists help make certain the airplane is configured properly before beginning the takeoff roll. Professional flight crews supplement this “hardware” checklist with a pre-takeoff briefing covering the “software” considerations, the pilot decision-making process that accompanies takeoff. Examples include: What are the unique hazards affecting takeoff? What performance expectations apply to this departure? How will I know if I’m not getting the performance needed? What is the route, and what altitudes to use getting from the airport to cruise? What will you do in the event of an emergency?
If you’re not a career pilot, you likely haven’t been trained in formal pre-takeoff briefings. Yet we know the ultimate outcome of a flight depends on the decisions we make, the software of flying. I’ve tried for years to come up with a quick, concise pre-takeoff briefing. I queried friends in the airlines, corporate and military to see what they used, in the hopes I could apply it to my flying. Everything I found was too complicated to adapt for single-pilot training and enthusiastic incorporation into everyday flying. So how to develop an easy, single-pilot-friendly pre-takeoff briefing checklist?
