Change Your Checklist

Checklists get taken for granted-settle into your seat in the cockpit, pull out the booklet or laminated cards, turn to the Before Engine Start page and start following the steps. Fire up the engine(s) and proceed down to After Engine Start and Before Taxi. Sound familiar? For most flying under 14 CFR Part 91, this read-then-do routine is the norm all the way to Parking and Securing. While many pilots with a fair amount of experience-particularly those with their own aircraft-will often go a step beyond and make their own checklists, there are far more efficient methods to get things done on time and in the proper order.

Elaine Kauh

Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Traditional aviation checklists are often inefficient, excessively long, and instructional, leading to pilot complacency, bad habits, and reduced situational awareness due to increased "heads-down" time.
The article advocates for a "flow and check" system, where pilots perform tasks through logical, muscle-memory "flows" around the cockpit.
Following the flow, a concise checklist is then used solely for *verifying* task completion, promoting active thinking, efficiency, and consistent cockpit discipline.

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Checklists get taken for granted—settle into your seat in the cockpit, pull out the booklet or laminated cards, turn to the “Before Engine Start” page and start following the steps. Fire up the engine(s) and proceed down to “After Engine Start” and “Before Taxi.”

Sound familiar? For most flying under 14 CFR Part 91, this read-then-do routine is the norm all the way to “Parking and Securing.” While many pilots with a fair amount of experience—particularly those with their own aircraft—will often go a step beyond and make their own checklists, there are far more efficient methods to get things done on time and in the proper order.