Checklist Discipline

The Aeronca Champs checklist was simple, befitting most small aircraft of the late 50s: "CIGAR" stood for Controls, Instruments, Gas, Attitude, Run-up and, sometimes, Runway. Time and experience brought along more-complicated airplanes and checklists, but it was still hard to mess up by using CIGAR. Following USAF pilot training, I became an instructor pilot in the T-37. Its checklist was a bit more complicated. When students asked about checklist sequencing, there was the standard answer: Checklist discipline. Not too much to question, but not too much to mess up, either.

A Bartlett

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article emphasizes the critical importance of strict checklist discipline in aviation to prevent accidents.
A failure to adhere to the "before power applied" checklist on an F-4 Phantom II resulted in the accidental jettison of external fuel tanks.
This oversight led to a catastrophic fire that destroyed both the F-4 and an adjacent F-8 Crusader, demonstrating the severe consequences of neglecting established procedures.

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The Aeronca Champs checklist was simple, befitting most small aircraft of the late 50s: “CIGAR” stood for Controls, Instruments, Gas, Attitude, Run-up and, sometimes, Runway. Time and experience brought along more-complicated airplanes and checklists, but it was still hard to mess up by using CIGAR.

Following USAF pilot training, I became an instructor pilot in the T-37. Its checklist was a bit more complicated. When students asked about checklist sequencing, there was the standard answer: Checklist discipline. Not too much to question, but not too much to mess up, either.