BUMMMFITCHH, pre-landing checklist questions

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DCR

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rudy
Hello,

I am just reading up on some of the different checklists people use for different phases of flight, and came across the wiki article on BUMMMFITCHH, or OBUMMPFFITCHH as they say.

O - Open carburettor heater
B - Brakes free
U - Undercarriage down and locked
M - Mixtures
M - Magnetos
M - Master switch
P - Propeller Pitch
F - Fuel
F - Flaps
I - Instruments
T - Temperatures and Pressures
C - Close carburettor heat
H - Hatches or doors
H - Harnesses

Now, I'm just learning on a 172, and I have a few questions about some of these items (which probably do not apply to "my" (rental) plane).

1. Why is carb heat first opened, and then closed? I was taught to turn carb heat on as landing prep.
2. Brakes free - after reading about the crash in Farmington I think I'll check my parking brake as part of this stage of flight. Do y'all check your brakes and if so how? Just parking? Just check for pedal pressure? Both?
3. Magnetos, master switch - not sure how these could have moved since takeoff - am I supposed to cycle them or something??
4. Flaps - flaps are obviously an integral part of landing - do you check them when prepping or just add them as needed?
5. Instruments - I guess they mean make sure you have proper QNH and DG is adjusted?
6. Hatches and doors - again, do these open during flight? Is this intended for planes with a payload or that otherwise had to open their doors in flight?

I know many people don't use this list, but if you use any of the items I am asking about in your own pre-landing list I'd love to hear your procedures.

Thanks
 
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Sounds complicated. I just do GUMPS and even that is over complicated in a 172

Gas on fullest
Undercarriage extended
Mixture rich
Prop full forward
Switches /seatbelts


the rest is called flying IMO and not checklist material.
 
DCR said:
Hello,

I am just reading up on some of the different checklists people use for different phases of flight, and came across the wiki article on BUMMMFITCHH, or OBUMMPFFITCHH as they say.

O - Open carburettor heater
B - Brakes free
U - Undercarriage down and locked
M - Mixtures
M - Magnetos
M - Master switch
P - Propeller Pitch
F - Fuel
F - Flaps
I - Instruments
T - Temperatures and Pressures
C - Close carburettor heat
H - Hatches or doors
H - Harnesses

Now, I'm just learning on a 172, and I have a few questions about some of these items (which probably do not apply to "my" plane).

1. Why is carb heat first opened, and then closed? I was taught to turn carb heat on as landing prep.
2. Brakes free - after reading about the crash in Farmington I think I'll check my parking brake as part of this stage of flight. Do y'all check your brakes and if so how? Just parking? Just check for pedal pressure? Both?
3. Magnetos, master switch - not sure how these could have moved since takeoff - am I supposed to cycle them or something??
4. Flaps - flaps are obviously an integral part of landing - do you check them when prepping or just add them as needed?
5. Instruments - I guess they mean make sure you have proper QNH and DG is adjusted?
6. Hatches and doors - again, do these open during flight? Is this intended for planes with a payload or that otherwise had to open their doors in flight?

I know many people don't use this list, but if you use any of the items I am asking about in your own pre-landing list I'd love to hear your procedures.

Thanks
Click to expand...
The linked article refers to something called an "aeroplane." It has no applicability to your 172.
 
Salty said:
I just do GUMPS and even that is over complicated in a 172
Click to expand...

Yea, I know this checklist is overkill and was not suggesting it's appropriate for my glorified go-kart with wings. I was just wondering what / who those items DO apply to. Do some people turn their carb heat on and then off as part of their prep, and so on...?
 
DCR said:
Yea, I know this checklist is overkill and was not suggesting it's appropriate for my glorified go-kart with wings. I was just wondering what / who those items DO apply to. Do some people turn their carb heat on and then off as part of their prep, and so on...?
Click to expand...
I think you’ll have to ask the author, I don’t think that’s normal.
 
I have flown a lot of different airplanes from Cessna 150s to Citations and military trainers and transports as well as high performance and complex singles. I have never seen this checklist before. Where did you find it?
 
That is one crazy checklist.

What is it for...airplane....flying saucer.??
 
Re arranging the alphabet and remembering what each stands for seems too complex for my simple mind. I humbly suggest that a pilot dig out the POH, copy the mfg's checklist and laminate it. Don't forget to place a "Black box" around the "memory items". Worked for me for a few decades.
I used to fly a lot with a former USMC pilot who often said: "Everything that's off, turn it on. everything on, turn it off".
 
The U and P seem useless in a Cessna 150 or similar, but after a year or two, I put full attention to them.

Later, the "Gear down and in sight" callout, followed by "Fixed pitch" out loud, became important. I was now working on my Commercial endorsement, and the flights in a retractable had no learning issues, just substitute "3 greenlights" for "down and in sight".

My flying continued to be mostly in fixed gear planes, but the callouts continued, just to be fresh when I did fly retractable.

The short and uncomplicated GUMPS is the best final check, and has saved many pilots and planes over the years.
 
Hey geezer-

Could you explain those two callouts? I don't think I can see the gear in my plane. And what about the pitch do you do for landing?
 
My grandpa had a saying about things such as this - it involved the destruction of an anvil with a rubber mallet
 
DCR said:
Do some people turn their carb heat on and then off as part of their prep, and so on...?
Click to expand...
It depends on the engine. On the small Continentals the use of carb heat throughout the landing is usually recommended. On Lycomings, it's usually check it, then leave it off unless required. Though I seem to recall leaving it on in 172s with Lycomings? (was a long time ago.) It has to do with how the induction differs between Continentals and Lycomings, and perhaps the particular aircraft installation.

But yeah, the rest of the checklist seems a bit much.
 
Regarding "B - Brakes free", checking for hydraulic pressure by depressing the brakes is useful, especially in taildraggers. As for parking brakes, I'd never trust them for longer than it takes to chock the wheels.
 
Just use the one the manufacturer outlines. I think some folks like to get pedantic with these things. An effective scan is also your friend!
 
Having such a lengthy & complicated list would distract me enough to overlook something important...or I might fly into someone because I was preoccupied looking at it.
In simple planes like ours you could probably just scan the controls & the panel quickly and decide if each needed alteration.....but mainly don't forget the gear - that needs three checks: downwind leg or one dot above, base leg or around 500', and again on short final. (I know you said 172 but if you will ever move up, it's a good habit)
I actually take the POH and print out my own abbreviated checklists & laminate them.
 
So I’m mentally running through this mnemonic in a couple planes I fly and my hands/eyes are zigzagging all over the cockpit. I’d suggest giving a flow check a try.
 
To be honest, this is completely insane. Just use a checklist, or do a flow check. At least GUMPS is something that can be sounded out (I am not a fan of that either), but what the heck is a OBUMMPFFITCHH? This takes it to a whole new level.
 
DCR said:
Do some people turn their carb heat on and then off as part of their prep, and so on...?
Click to expand...
Yes. In a number of airplanes, carb heat comes on as a preventative when power is reduced. Some pilots then turn carb heat off on short final in preparation for a go-around. That's not a POH checklist item but a personal SOP.

On the prop and gear piece in a fixed pitch/prop airplane, the theory is the same as in GUMP - preparation for an eventual move to constant speed prop retracts. Personally, I always thought that the "law of primacy" meant you actually learned that if you forget the gear, it doesn't matter.

Then again, I have a distaste for mnemonics (putting it mildly) so you can just imagine what I think of this one :D
 
DCR said:
O - Open carburettor heater - if needed
B - Brakes free
U - Undercarriage down and locked - only on a retractable gear plane
M - Mixtures
M - Magnetos - makes no sense - they’ve both been on since before takeoff
M - Master switch - same
P - Propeller Pitch - if it’s controllable
F - Fuel - fullest tank - do this on the approach/descent checklist - reduce workload close in
F - Flaps - not a checklist item
I - Instruments - approach/descent
T - Temperatures and Pressures - what, if they’re not right are you going to not land?
C - Close carburettor heat - after exiting runway
H - Hatches or doors - pretakeoff checklist
H - Harnesses - descent
Click to expand...
I do altimeter, avionics, landing light, fuel selector, seatbelts shortly after beginning descent. The only items done in the pattern in a 172 are mixture and carb heat.
 
Hehheh. Reminds me during my PPL oral I mentioned PAVE or IMSAFE can’t remember which now, and the DPE, who somehow had not heard of that one exploded saying “I think if I hear another acronym I’ll f’ing shoot someone!” A memorable moment for someone taking their first checkride.
 
Midwest_Wings said:
Hehheh. Reminds me during my PPL oral I mentioned PAVE or IMSAFE can’t remember which now, and the DPE, who somehow had not heard of that one exploded saying “I think if I hear another acronym I’ll f’ing shoot someone!” A memorable moment for someone taking their first checkride.
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...and now he pretty much has to test for them on every checkride. Poor guy.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
As long as those are the only two, I would be ok with it.
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And we know there are so many more. I've told the story about my first private candidate's checkride where during my debriefing he commented that he couldn't believe my student didn't know a certain hated mnemonic about burning red fruit. The former DPE is in prison now.
 
midlifeflyer said:
And we know there are so many more. I've told the story about my first private candidate's checkride where during my debriefing he commented that he couldn't believe my student didn't know a certain hated mnemonic about burning red fruit. The former DPE is in prison now.
Click to expand...

Yea, in some circles learning what each letter of an acronym stands for is seen as progress. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just because you don't know what VASI stands for doesn't mean you don't know how to fly a VASI.
 
midlifeflyer said:
And we know there are so many more. I've told the story about my first private candidate's checkride where during my debriefing he commented that he couldn't believe my student didn't know a certain hated mnemonic about burning red fruit. The former DPE is in prison now.
Click to expand...
That acronym is particularly useless because it’s not something that will ever be used in a time-critical situation. As long as the pilot has a basic understanding that certain instruments are required, and knows where to find the exact information, that is sufficient.
 
ateamer said:
That acronym is particularly useless because it’s not something that will ever be used in a time-critical situation. As long as the pilot has a basic understanding that certain instruments are required, and knows where to find the exact information, that is sufficient.
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Absolutely. It's also bad because it elevates 91.205 to a super status. I used to periodically do a quiz online in which I would mention that a piece of equipment is inop and ask whether "your" airplane can be flown legally without it. I also did it as part of the ground portion of flight reviews. The equipment would be one that is required per the aircraft equipment list but not specifically mentioned in 91.205. Not a scientific sample but the general trend was that people were more likely to get it wrong if they burned red fruit or did nasty things to felines. The best one was actually from a CFI - "It's not in [@#$%^%$@] so you're good to go!"
 
GUMPS works for me.

Why altimeter? Once I am on downwind, I do everything based on reference to the runway and how things look.
 
Pinecone said:
GUMPS works for me.

Why altimeter? Once I am on downwind, I do everything based on reference to the runway and how things look.
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There are some guys in the RV community who are installing radar altimeters to help them judge when to flare. Really sounds like just a gadget, and possibly a distraction, being that there aren’t any RVs certified for Cat 3 approaches.
 
Radar or laser?

I have a Landing Height System in my plane. https://landingheight.com/

It calls out 200, 100, 70, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 feet. Makes night landings super easy.

But the reason I installed it was if the gear switch is not down, it says "200, Check Landing Gear Down." The newer versions connect to the gear switch so ONLY say to check gear if the switch is not in the down position. The older systems would say to check gear no matter what. I prefer to have it do something different if the gear switch is not down.
 
@DCR im late in replying. (1) your 172 is not a glorified go-kart with wings. It'll kill you just as dead as a TBM.

(2). Good on you to ask questions and seek to keep learning.

(3). If you have a fuel injected engine, carb heat doesn't apply to your 172.

(4). If you have a carburetor you apply carb heat, ideally, before reducing power for your descent abeam the numbers. You want the hotter air from operating at higher rpm's to be directed into the carb to eliminate any existing carb ice and keep the temp in there above freezing to avoid carb ice.

(5) on very short final I was taught carb heat off in case of a go-around. You'll have full power available and not be fumbling with the carb heat controls. Just grab throttle and prop (mixture is already forward) and firewall those puppies.

My $0.02. Also - look at the detailed checklist in the POH. Use a checklist in the planes GUMPS is a great memory aid turning base, turning final, short final (simpler is usually easier to recall in my experience).

Good luck!
 
Flying doesn't have to be that complicated.

The Landing Checklist on the 737s I fly is only four items.

ENGINE START SWITCHES ... CONTINUOUS
SPEED BRAKE ... ARMED
GEAR ... DOWN
FLAPS ... ___°, GREEN LIGHT

On short final I double check the flap indication and five green lights (3 gear, speed brake armed, & leading edge devices).

GUMPS, or GUMPSS if you prefer, works for just about any piston airplane. Compare your airplane's AFM landing checklist to GUMPS when you check out in a new plane to see how it applies.
 
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