Pilots know that we all make some common mistakes in the cockpit. Many mistakes could be prevented by using a checklist, as we’ve all heard a bazillion times. A pilot might object, “I have no time to be looking at a checklist if I lose an engine on takeoff. Especially if it is the onliest engine.”
Yes, sometimes a pilot is time-constrained and has to perform “memory items” without looking at a checklist. But what are these “memory items” but checklist items committed to memory? We pilots usually memorize these by using flashcards and getting tested on the items over and over, sometimes waking up in the middle of the night chanting, “THROTTLE TO IDLE. IF FIRE LIGHT DOES NOT EXTINGUISH….” (This can be disturbing to others sleeping nearby, but they’re not the ones taking a checkride next Tuesday, are they? The defense rests.)
