Checklist pdf

[Bill3558]

The little checklist booklet that came with my airplane is getting frayed and FD says they are not available to purchase. So I’m thinking of making my own laminated one page,  2 sided checklist with Excel.  If I knew how to edit a pdf file I’d cut and paste out of the POH, but I don’t know how to do that. Anyone else run into this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but don’t know how. 

[CTDan]

On 10/26/2020 at 4:32 PM, Bill3558 said:

The little checklist booklet that came with my airplane is getting frayed and FD says they are not available to purchase. So I’m thinking of making my own laminated one page,  2 sided checklist with Excel.  If I knew how to edit a pdf file I’d cut and paste out of the POH, but I don’t know how to do that. Anyone else run into this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but don’t know how. 

Make your checklist. 
be sure your page breaks are set correctly by using the preview button. 
 

when you print it there should be an option for two sided printing. Most likely, you will have to print one side & then put the paper back on the printer to print the other side. I believe it varies by printer software, so it may take a bit of investigating,... or just put it on a thumb drive & take it to your local office supply place, or FedEx/Kinkos. 

[johnnyjr]

http://www.checkmateaviation.com/flight-design-ctsw-light-sport-aircraft.html

Best $20 I spent, this is a nice quick reference check list.  I have a more detailed custom preflight list I created in Foreflight, but for start up through shutdown this is my go to.  It also contains emergency procedures as well.

[FlyingMonkey]

I have a checklist card in my CTSW that has all the checklists my CT flight school used, but I never look at it.  I have one small "pre-takeoff" checklist sticker next to my EFIS that is so small I have memorized it (though I still read it out of course)...it's really the only checklist I use:

* preflight complete

* luggage doors closed

* cabin doors closed and latched

* safety belts secured

* fuel quantity confirmed

* BRS armed

* fuel valve open

* choke off

* flight controls free and correct

* flaps set

* trim set

* run-up and ignition check

 

Other CTs are more complex than mine, especially if they have very complex avionics or the fuel injected engine with a multiple electrical lane/bus setup, but in my case that's all I need.  There's not really a "cruise checklist" or "landing checklist" required, those are just set flaps and rpm as needed.  I guess you could add "check fuel" to a landing checklist, but if you are low on fuel what are you going to do?  LAND!  You were doing that anyway, and you should be checking fuel often enough to know approximately the fuel state. 

 

[CTDan]

4 hours ago, FlyingMonkey said:

 

* BRS armed

 

I keep the pin on the key ring. 
Im in a private hangar, so I’m not worried about theft, & this way I can’t even start the plane without removing the pin. 
 

It probably won’t work for everyone, but it works for me. 

[Jim Meade]

When I started teaching I often emphasized the pre-flight checklist and pretty much ignored the rest.  Later, I got so I'd try to implement checklist into all phases of flight because it helped the student with the checkride and if a student planned to go on to more sophisticated airplanes it got them in the habit of using checklists.  I seriously used checklists when I flew my T210.  My CTSW checklist is pretty simple but I do go through the sequences although often it's a flow rather than a list.

[Ben2k9]

Last year FD sent me the image files for the little flip book and I took it to FedEx Office and had them print one. Not too hard to do. 

[FlyingMonkey]

14 hours ago, CTDan said:

I keep the pin on the key ring. 
Im in a private hangar, so I’m not worried about theft, & this way I can’t even start the plane without removing the pin. 
 

It probably won’t work for everyone, but it works for me. 

I do the same, but's still a checklist item that I visually confirm.  That is not something you want to find there is a problem with if needed! 

 

[FlyingMonkey]

13 hours ago, Jim Meade said:

When I started teaching I often emphasized the pre-flight checklist and pretty much ignored the rest.  Later, I got so I'd try to implement checklist into all phases of flight because it helped the student with the checkride and if a student planned to go on to more sophisticated airplanes it got them in the habit of using checklists.  I seriously used checklists when I flew my T210.  My CTSW checklist is pretty simple but I do go through the sequences although often it's a flow rather than a list.

Agreed, and for students there should be a checklist for everything.  Once you are familiar and have a lot of hours with a very simple airplane like my CTSW, it becomes pretty apparent when a checklist is just "busy work" and provides no real value.  In a T210 I think I'd have a checklist for *everything*, that's a much more complex beast.

[Tom Baker]

41 minutes ago, FlyingMonkey said:

Agreed, and for students there should be a checklist for everything.  Once you are familiar and have a lot of hours with a very simple airplane like my CTSW, it becomes pretty apparent when a checklist is just "busy work" and provides no real value.  In a T210 I think I'd have a checklist for *everything*, that's a much more complex beast.

Wait until you have a passenger ask you while your in the middle of something, and you will see the value of a checklist. That Remos accident at Sebring happened because someone ask a question in the middle of aircraft assembly. I know of model airplane accidents due to being interrupted while assembling for flight.

[FastEddieB]

Interestingly, this just crossed my Facebook feed - Plane And Pilot magazine listing the Top 10 Pilot Errors. 

[FlyingMonkey]

2 hours ago, Tom Baker said:

Wait until you have a passenger ask you while your in the middle of something, and you will see the value of a checklist. That Remos accident at Sebring happened because someone ask a question in the middle of aircraft assembly. I know of model airplane accidents due to being interrupted while assembling for flight.

I did not say checklists are not useful or required.  What I said was that in very simple airplanes like my CT you don't need a ton of checklists for all phases of flight.  Obviously if you are assembling critical components you should have a checklist, and before takeoff you need a checklist to make sure you have done everything to prep for a safe flight.  For preflight I prefer a 360° walk around flow where I check every component as I walk around the airplane.

But do I need a pre-landing checklist?  No.  In the case of how I operate my airplane there would be nothing on it that would be more of a distraction than a benefit.  Checklists are supposed to reduce distractions, not create them.

Failure to use checklists doesn't apply here.  I'm talking about affirmatively using checklists, and using them *appropriately*.  You don't have a "pre-preflight checklist" that tells you to eat sufficient calories, hydrate, take a piss before takeoff, and make sure your hangar door is unlocked and open...should you?

 

[Tom Baker]

1 hour ago, FlyingMonkey said:

I did not say checklists are not useful or required.  What I said was that in very simple airplanes like my CT you don't need a ton of checklists for all phases of flight.  Obviously if you are assembling critical components you should have a checklist, and before takeoff you need a checklist to make sure you have done everything to prep for a safe flight.  For preflight I prefer a 360° walk around flow where I check every component as I walk around the airplane.

But do I need a pre-landing checklist?  No.  In the case of how I operate my airplane there would be nothing on it that would be more of a distraction than a benefit.  Checklists are supposed to reduce distractions, not create them.

Failure to use checklists doesn't apply here.  I'm talking about affirmatively using checklists, and using them *appropriately*.  You don't have a "pre-preflight checklist" that tells you to eat sufficient calories, hydrate, take a piss before takeoff, and make sure your hangar door is unlocked and open...should you?

 

Your words, "provides no real value". I was just saying they do provide value, and can save lives.

[FastEddieB]

An anecdote I’ve probably told before...

I’m a firm believer in checklists. But one time I was jump-starting my Sky Arrow from my Honda Element, and figured using the checklist was kinda silly. Just master and ignitions on and hit the starter - how complicated is that? And it started right up!

And started rolling forward. I instinctively pushed on my rudder pedals, which does nothing in the Sky Arrow - it has finger brakes. At the last second I came to my senses and got the plane stopped,  just inches shy of running into my car. Whew! That could have been expensive  

All because I this one time thought I could get away without using a checklist. The “Before Starting” checklist includes “Parking Brake - SET”.  Not something to miss when you don’t have a free hand to hold the finger brakes.

Anyway, we’re all adults here, so use a checklist or don’t. But they remain a time-tested way of avoiding problems, and I’d encourage all pilots to use them as a matter of course. That’s all.

[FlyingMonkey]

5 hours ago, Tom Baker said:

Your words, "provides no real value". I was just saying they do provide value, and can save lives.

Tom, at least quote what I said and not a snippet that implies something I didn't say:

"Once you are familiar and have a lot of hours with a very simple airplane like my CTSW, it becomes pretty apparent when a checklist is just "busy work" and provides no real value."

That does not mean checklists have no value, in fact I said that I use them.  It means a rational human pilot can determine when a checklist is harming more than helping.  Do you use a checklist every time, in all phases of flight?  If so, what do they look like?

Many professional pilots in industry and the military have switched from checklists to "flows" for various cross-checks.  Are they unsafe?

[coppercity]

If you have a D100/D180 I can send you a check list file to load on the Dynon for use.

[Jim Meade]

A flow is a type of checklist.

[FlyingMonkey]

40 minutes ago, Jim Meade said:

A flow is a type of checklist.

Agreed.  But not a printed one.

[GrassStripFlyBoy]

My most recent BFR was 1.5 years ago and in the old C-150. I had to use a different CFI (never met him before) as my pal that usually does it for free was unavailable.  I had developed both the "flow" and memorized the phases of checklist in pre-flight through shut down, and kept the c-list in the kneeboard just in case and rarely touched it.  So, get to the BFR, I was announcing every thought as I was either pointing to check, or physically doing the task.  Other CFI's I used back in the day I had used really harped on using checklist and I realized I had never removed it from the kneeboard the whole flight.  So, I pulled the list out upon landing saying here I have one.  His comment back was for owners who know their aircraft he does not emphasis them, students, rated pilots flying as renters, or more complex aircraft then that's a different situation.  He said he was not planning to even ask about the checklist as I demonstrated everything without missing / concerns.

I used the FD checklist religiously as a new owner, now one year in I've moved to the flow.  I find there are so many other small relevant checks to include that are not in the manufacture list, just a few examples:

Is ADS-B traffic showing as feed?  Is flight App I use set up with what I need for scope of flight?  (Sometimes my I-pad was pulling wifi from home instead of stratux, I've since set "forget network")  In the age of all this technology in cockpit these items can be major distractions latter within flight.

Did I set both EFIS and steam gage altimeters?

Is parking brake off (I'm on grass and it's entirely possible when it's wet to taxi & take off with the brakes still set dragging tires) 

Then I've also adopted other refinements to list such as engine oil warm up, as soon as my steam gage needle moves off low of 100 I bump RPM to 3k to achieve 122F quicker.  Laser etching the marks around ASI for VFe settings.  It's easy enough to memorize speeds, but nothing is more easy than to peek and see if needle is above or below the line for 82 which is not the beginning of white arc on the EFIS.

So, my take is have a check list handy, know it well, add to it with lessons learned and updates relevant to your cockpit, turn it into a flow.  For us who fly every week this becomes habit and list is not touched that often.  If you fly low hours per year, or extended time between flights then yeah I'd be all over that list.  One of those laminated pre-made aftermarket checklists came with my CT, I read through it once then through it in the trash.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom Baker]

12 hours ago, FlyingMonkey said:

Tom, at least quote what I said and not a snippet that implies something I didn't say:

"Once you are familiar and have a lot of hours with a very simple airplane like my CTSW, it becomes pretty apparent when a checklist is just "busy work" and provides no real value."

That does not mean checklists have no value, in fact I said that I use them.  It means a rational human pilot can determine when a checklist is harming more than helping.  Do you use a checklist every time, in all phases of flight?  If so, what do they look like?

Many professional pilots in industry and the military have switched from checklists to "flows" for various cross-checks.  Are they unsafe?

Andy, the snippet I took implied to me how I took the meaning of the whole sentence. It also went to the point I was trying to make, in that regardless of how much experience you have the checklist is important.

Do I use a checklist every time? When I started flying I don't remember being taught to use a checklist. It was basically memorize the checks. It was a very simple airplane, even more so than the CT. Over the years I have started trying to use a checklist for most operations, but old habits die hard. In my Warrior I have 3 different checklist, all covering the same material. The majority time when I am flying I am teaching, and I always teach students to use the checklist. 

I added a commercial glider rating a couple years ago, and glider CFI last year. The glider folks are big on checklist. As simple as a glider is you do a checklist for every flight. Often it is a memorized list instead of printed, and applies to most gliders.

There have been time that I have not used a checklist I am ashamed to admit. Fortunately it has not led to an sizeable mishaps, but I will relate one that happened in a CT not long ago. I had been doing maintenance, and was making a second or third test flight for the day. I normally fly from the right side even when solo. About 20-25 feet in the air on takeoff the left door popped open. I had accessed the cabin from the left side while making an adjustment to the idle speed, and had not re-latched the door. I would like to think if I had been using the checklist I would have at least looked at the handle when it came to doors closed and latched.

[Jim Meade]

Pages 1-13ff in the Airplane Flying Handbook discusses checklists.  It does not use the term flow.  It does talk about memory items, which should be verified against a checklist when possible/practical.  Memory items are particularly important in situations requiring prompt action.  We all go through memory items when we execute a go-around, for example.  We are told that when we have the time - never compromise aircraft control to review a checklist - we should verify our actions against the checklist.

I was taught that a flow included physically touching the item being being checked.  On one aircraft I flew, for example, I started at the top left and went horizontally across  and then dropped one row and did it again until done.  One doesn't have to check every item on the panel, just the ones appropriate to the situation.

 

[okent]

I use the checklists as a backup.  A good example is once I get to cruise and trim up everything I then go over the checklist.  On more than one occasion I forgot to switch to -6 flaps.  Being honest with myself that I can and do forget procedures drives me to keep the checklists around.

Also, I may be the only one who can't read the dang small print on the FD checklists.  I made my own with font suitable for a 50 year old.

[FlyingMonkey]

14 hours ago, Jim Meade said:

I was taught that a flow included physically touching the item being being checked.  On one aircraft I flew, for example, I started at the top left and went horizontally across  and then dropped one row and did it again until done.  One doesn't have to check every item on the panel, just the ones appropriate to the situation.

 

That's how I was taught.  You say the checklist items out loud, and physically touch each item or point to it if it's something like the fuel level in the sight tubes.  Same for a flow, as you move across the cockpit you touch each item and call it out.

[GrassStripFlyBoy]

On 10/31/2020 at 10:28 AM, Tom Baker said:

I had accessed the cabin from the left side while making an adjustment to the idle speed, and had not re-latched the door.

Early on the possibility of not having one of the doors latched was high on my risk assessment of things going wrong in a CT, so I adopted process of always latching and unlatching both doors together, never just one.  First thing I do, as I can't reach the passenger side when seat belt secured, latch both doors.  Last thing I do, unlatch both doors.  And there are redundant checks again at taxi and take off.  

[Bill3558]

I made a checklist using MSWord.  I eliminated the confusing kph speeds so I just have knots.  Easier for me.  I took it toStaples and got it laminated.  Send me a pm if you want the file.