Best way to create and use custom checklists (electronic vs paper)?

[flyingcheesehead]

Why this interests me, and the philosophy I'm getting to...

I used to be kind of a checklist hater. Then, a couple years after getting my commercial multi, I had a right-place-right-time situation and got to right-seat in a Hawker for a leg. One of the big impressions I got from that flight was that the Hawker checklists were really good - There were several of them to run before takeoff, but they were clear, concise, easy, and because they didn't have any extraneous junk on them, they were quick to complete and easy to read.

Afterwards, I went back to look, and found that there are more items to complete prior to takeoff on a Cessna 172 checklist than a Hawker 800 checklist. That should tell you something about how bad piston GA checklists are! Later, I flew TBMs for work and they were mostly good as well. But since that Hawker flight, I've always done my own checklists for my personal flying.

So since I'm re(over)thinking my checklists, I am trying to think about how I do them, and how simple and easy I should go. Obviously, anything that's a killer item needs to be there still, and anything that might cause damage to the airplane if it's missed.

I'm also combining things where appropriate. For example:
Master: Off
Alternator: Off
Avionics Master: Off

becomes simply "Masters: Three off". And really the only reason I kept it at all is to ensure the avionics master is off prior to start.

I'm also moving things around between checklists, and eliminating duplicates unless it's truly a killer item. Lots of stuff on the before-start checklist that should be on the preflight checklist, and no reason why it needs to be done (or done again) while myself and pax are sweating/freezing. That kind of thing encourages you to rush, and rushing is not conducive to safety anyway, so it becomes counterproductive.

If the checklist is so long you don't use it: Shorten it. Combine items that are similar. If it says "Throttle: Idle. Prop: High RPM. Mixture: Idle Cutoff." then maybe you should just change it to "Power levers: Set for start" and check all three of them at once. Or the infamous 172 preflight sequence of "Master: On. Fuel gauges: Checked. Master: Off." That should be one item, and if the gauges don't agree with the quantity you saw in the wing, maybe turn the master on for a sec there, Sparky.

If the only reason an item is on the checklist is because it's an obvious prerequisite for another item: Remove it. You shouldn't need to be told to turn the master on to start the plane.

If you forget to do something and it's not on the checklist, add it.

 

[trenton]

If you'd like a starting point, here's what I use for my 172N. It prints double-sided and folds neatly into thirds.

c172n checklist v5.docx

PRE-START Preflight inspection COMPLETE Tiedowns, chocks REMOVED Baggage area SECURE Pax briefing CONDUCTED Seats & seatbelts FASTENED & UPRIGHT Doors CLOSED & LOCKED ENGINE START Circuit breakers ALL IN Master OFF Avionics OFF Rotating beacon ON Carb...

docs.google.com

I do not laminate it because (1) it wouldn't fold (2) it's cheap to reprint when it gets worn.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I'm finding that there are several types of items that you might want to get rid of:

1) "Do list" or "How to fly" items. Get rid of 'em. You don't need a takeoff checklist with "Throttle: Full" on it.
2) "Look at me I fly a super duper complex single engine piston aircraft" items... Like checking each individual switch in an entire bank of switches when they're all supposed to be off. Combine them! Ensure you get everything you need to by changing "Off" to "all off" or "three off" or something like that.
3) Items that are reasonable, but are in the wrong place. The before start checklist is not the time or place to be checking every individual control. You're probably freezing/sweating and have impatient passengers by then. That stuff belongs on the interior preflight checklist... Just one example. Another is that my airplane has no "after start" checklist, leaving some fairly important things like checking oil pressure for Before Taxi. IMO, you should have an After Start checklist that checks all of the things that need checking immediately - Do I have oil pressure, have I leaned to avoid plug fouling, etc - and then a Before Taxi checklist that you can do after you've done all the other stuff like entering your flight plan, checking the ATIS, getting your clearance if applicable, etc. So, move these items around, provided you take a chance to think about why they are where they are.
4) Inconsequential items. Mags off on the before start checklist, for example - You're about to turn them on anyway. This is one to check before you touch the prop or turn the master on during preflight. Same for Flaps Up on Before Start - If for some reason they were down, the only thing that raising them now does is waste battery power as soon as you turn the master on. If anything, the check should be for the switch to match the actual position of the flaps in case you had kids crawling around in your plane messing with things. Deal with these as appropriate.
5)

So far, I have dropped the number of items I am supposed to complete before takeoff (including preflight) from 174 items to 73.

There are also a few types of things you might want to add:

1) Anything related to installed equipment that is in section 9/IX of a modern POH for optional equipment, and anything that was installed aftermarket that has an approved flight manual supplement (AFMS). When I created the checklist for the DA40, there were 8 AFMSs that I needed to combine into the main aircraft checklist.
2) Procedural items that can kill you. For example, takeoff briefing! It's no good to take off into IMC or at night and then realize you forgot to look at the obstacle DP.
3) This is an extension of 2) but I've found that many emergency checklists are shockingly lacking, and only talk about the airplane. This is the time when you're going to be MOST likely to miss something important because it doesn't happen much, generally only happens while training, and you're going to have some serious adrenaline going on. For example, there are single engine failure checklists that start with messing with mixture, mags, tanks, etc. and completely forget that the first items on that checklist MUST be to pitch and trim to establish Vg, and find a landing area and steer towards it.

And there's even a few legitimate checklist items in there that are fine as is. Of the 100 items (excluding the exterior preflight) before takeoff in my factory checklist, there are a whopping three that I did not modify in any way. (Face. Palm.)

Have I mentioned that piston GA checklists SUCK???

 

[Pinecone]

I would like to find a nice Word doc/template to make a QRH type emergency check list. I have a checklist for a similar plane, but the person supplied it as a PDF, so not easily edited.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I would like to find a nice Word doc/template to make a QRH type emergency check list. I have a checklist for a similar plane, but the person supplied it as a PDF, so not easily edited.

Are you looking to replicate the format in the PDF? Can you post it?

 

[Pinecone]

Are you looking to replicate the format in the PDF? Can you post it?

Something like this, But best would be one where emergencies are listed on the first page, one per line, and that points to a tab for that page.

Like the airline in the pic.