Writing Pilot Checklists

[kontiki]

As a renter, owner and flying club member just trying to stay proficient right now, I am typically swamped with various checklists from various sources.

There are a number of issues. Exactly what should or shouldn't be in a checklist for operation? What should be in a maneuver or emergency checklist? From a human factors standpoint what is an effective layout? I've seen some that are one page with everything on it that are a treasure hunt. None of the airplanes I fly have much room.

Then there are electronic checklists, which have their own issues. I thought there were Advisory Circulars on the subject but I couldn't find an FAA AC today. Anybody got any good tips or sources?

 

[EdFred]

As a renter, owner and flying club member just trying to stay proficient right now, I am typically swamped with various checklists from various sources.

There are a number of issues. Exactly what should or shouldn't be in a checklist for operation? What should be in a maneuver or emergency checklist? From a human factors standpoint what is an effective layout? I've seen some that are one page with everything on it that are a treasure hunt. None of the airplanes I fly have much room.

Then there are electronic checklists, which have their own issues. I thought there were Advisory Circulars on the subject but I couldn't find an FAA AC today. Anybody got any good tips or sources?

Take the checklist(s) from the POH(s), and modify it/them as necessary for you. What works for you may not work for me, and may or may not work for the next guy.

 

[dmspilot]

Not sure if there's an Advisory Circular; if there is one I haven't seen it. There is some research from NASA though that you might be thinking of. Google something like "NASA checklist design" and you should find it.

I prefer to start with the manufacturer's checklist and tweak it. For older aircraft with sparse checklists, you can try one for a newer model and adapt it to the older. I'm very not a fan of putting items such as "takeoff clearance - obtain", or getting ATIS, etc. on a checklist. Form factor is a personal preference, I personally prefer the traditional half-size pages, formatted efficiently to minimize flipping. Others prefer single page of various sizes.

 

[Bell206]

I thought there were Advisory Circulars on the subject but I couldn't find an FAA AC today. Anybody got any good tips or sources?

FYI: There is checklist guidance out there but given Part 91 (except K) has no requirement for them so the guidance is for Part 135/121 ops and can get rather deep to include human factors, fonts, etc. Depends how far down the rabbit-hole you want to go. There was a FAA SAFO issued a number of years ago about Part 91 checklist use but I can't seem to find it at the moment.

 

[kontiki]

I'm looking at flying a T-34. It's a 1950s military trainer. There are old NAVAIR checklists, and an old NAVAIR POH with numbers modified by FAA civilian TC. Previous flying club checklists, etc. Some systems are deactivated and operations restricted. All of the bail out instructions are off the table for me.

Some are different fonts, formats presentations etc. NAVAIR used a cardboard checklist with edge referencing system.

As a renter of 172, there ancient Owners manuals, various STCs for CS prop, aux fuel tanks, lift enhancement devices etc. It's not like buying a new Cirrus.

It alway's looks too messy.

 

[RussR]

I'm very not a fan of putting items such as "takeoff clearance - obtain", or getting ATIS, etc. on a checklist.

Absolutely this. I've seen people with checklists that seem to be 100 pages long, full of this kind of stuff. Checklists to me should be directly aircraft-operation-related. Switches and knob stuff. Not "frequency - set" stuff.

The electronic checklists really seem to lend themselves to this, since it's easy to modify and enter whatever popped into your head. "Oh yeah, I need to remember to get the key out of my pocket, let me put that on the checklist."

 

[ateamer]

My checklists (RV-8) are almost entirely “killer items”, with just a few procedural tasks.

Before Takeoff:
Carb Heat - Off
Prop - Max
Ignition - Both On
__________________
Mixture - Set (best power)
Pump - On
Canopy - Latch

The CIGA items (controls checked, instruments and avionics set and configured, fuel selector on the proper tank, flaps and trim set) are completed before taxiing. All that’s left is the R.

That reduces the workload after the plane is moving and cuts time on the runup pad or hold short line. Roll onto the pad, power up, cycle the prop, ignition check, idle, go through the checklist to the line, pull up to the line. If we’re it amd there’s no wait to depart, the below-the-line items can be done before pulling off the runup pad.

It’s a stretch, but hopefully I can remember to use full power for takeoff, to release the brakes, and to use back pressure on the stick to achieve the AOA needed for flight, without reading them from a checklist. Maybe those can be added to the After Takeoff checks, which is a do-and-verify like the other lists.


Approach:
Fuel - Fullest
Baro - ____
Belts - On

Again, just the killer items. I aim to have these items done by five miles out in order to reduce workload close to the field.

Landing:
Mixture - Set (Best Power, but Set works because I know what it is short for)
Prop - Max
Pump - On
AP - Disc (disconnected) (Not that I use it - 2-1/2 years of ownership and the AP has been used three times. 100% of my flying is VFR.)

GUMPS - G and S were done five or miles out. No U - fixed gear. With the firewall-forward installation in my plane, carb heat does virtually nothing. The mechanical parts work as designed, but there is no RPM change. The heated air intake is simply an opening in the short duct from the air filter to the carb, so the air is within a degree or two of the filtered air temperature. I think that newer RVs do have an actual carb heat muff.

With the cockpit layout in this plane, all flows - normal and emergency - follow an inverted U starting at low left.

There are more than just the checklists shown. Those are just a couple examples.

 

[Feh]

I think to start your own checklist I’d go with the POH first and add from there. But that at least for me, would be my source of truth.

other enhancements would come from known checklists (like Checkmate, Foreflight, etc) and some based on my own known, verified good experience.

 

[Rich Holt]

I have flown with checklists that are all on one page and PCL (Pocket Checklists) that are several hundred pages. Both were effective. As long as you familiarize yourself with the checklist, it really shouldn't matter. The checklist for my Grumman's POH could fit on a placard, if necessary. It depends on how complicated your machine is.

The safety part of my brain says, no matter how big your list is, having clearly labeled (and different colored) sections can be very useful when someone is experiencing a helmet fire.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I've been doing this since a student pilot.

1. Start with the POH. Be sure you check those supplements for equipment changed since the POH was new!
2. Add things that really matter to you. My favorite example is the student pilot who added "On Rollout -- Full Crosswind Correction" to his before landing briefing to ensure he remembered that oft-forgotten but essential part of a crosswind landing.
3. Agree 100% with @RussR. Aircraft operation, not junk like, "check the AWOS."
4. Use a format that is meaningful to you. I have personalized checklists for more than a dozen airplanes. They are all in exactly the same format with everything in the exact same place. It doesn't need to make sense to anyone else (a friend tried to use one of mine and was lost). And yes, despite #1 you can consider condensing.

The checklist that makes sense to you will get used. And that's the single most important thing.

FAA video on customizing checklists.

 

[Trogdor]

Do you use an EFB? Seriously, if you don’t….pick one, add checklists.

 

[sarangan]

Absolutely this. I've seen people with checklists that seem to be 100 pages long, full of this kind of stuff. Checklists to me should be directly aircraft-operation-related. Switches and knob stuff. Not "frequency - set" stuff.

The electronic checklists really seem to lend themselves to this, since it's easy to modify and enter whatever popped into your head. "Oh yeah, I need to remember to get the key out of my pocket, let me put that on the checklist."

And don't forget "turn ignition key to start", "tune desired radio frequency"...

 

[NightSkyReader]

The electronic checklists really seem to lend themselves to this, since it's easy to modify and enter whatever popped into your head. "Oh yeah, I need to remember to get the key out of my pocket, let me put that on the checklist."

Nothing worse than being all strapped and buckled in and yelling CLEAR! with fellow aviators nearby waiting to hear the sound of your expertly primed engine roar to life, and reaching for the ignition only to realize the key is in your coat, in your backpack, in the luggage compartment.

 

[Trogdor]

I want to say that my EFB has personal checklists that include things like “Double check wing ties are actually untied” and “Check A20 BT is connected to iPad”. Hopefully, soon, I will have “Start GoPro” etc.

Seriously, the POH is just a baseline as @midlifeflyer astutely pointed out. You will need to make your own additions and they will be very personal based on your equipment and past mistakes.

 

[RussR]

I want to say that my EFB has personal checklists that include things like “Double check wing ties are actually untied” and “Check A20 BT is connected to iPad”. Hopefully, soon, I will have “Start GoPro” etc.

Seriously, the POH is just a baseline as @midlifeflyer astutely pointed out. You will need to make your own additions and they will be very personal based on your equipment and past mistakes.

The problem, to me, though is that you really need to make sure not to get carried away. If every time you forget something you add it to the checklist, the checklist can quickly become unwieldy and excessive. Better to work on flows or other memory aids, or just improving your overall awareness of what's going on. it has been my experience that the longer the checklist is, the less likely people are to actually use it.

- I've forgotten to remove the chocks before (duh), but that doesn't need to be on the checklist, I just need to make sure to look around better before getting in the airplane. It's not a safety consideration anyway, I'll know soon enough.
- I shouldn't need "verify GPS database" on my checklist because when I turn it on, it's going to make me verify it before I can use the unit anyway.
- Similarly, I shouldn't need "Avionics Master - On" on the checklist since it'll quickly become obvious that I'm staring at blank screens. (But I accept that this one is on almost every checklist I've seen, so I'm not hard over about it or anything.)

The best checklist I've seen (and use routinely) is one provided in my initial training for the PA-46. It is one piece of 8.5x11 paper, cut in half vertically, with everything up to takeoff on the front and everything past that on the back, in about 12-point font. With healthy margins. It's brief, gets the important items, and because it's short, gets used reliably every single step of the way.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Similarly, I shouldn't need "Avionics Master

I absolutely agree with your post. Less is usually better and less mean more use.

But I had to laugh at this one. By far most checklists I've seen - schools, clubs, commercial third party - go into great detail on avionics and lights. It varies a little on mine but I typically cover those with a single "Avionics and switches" entry. Yeah, it can probably go but it's become habit to see it - expectations count too.I mentioned earlier a friend who tried but couldn't use mine, it was the "avionics and switches" one. He just stopped and stared. He was used to the detail and got stuck without it.

 

[midlifeflyer]

gets used reliably every single step of the way.

...and I bet that includes climb, cruise, descent/in-range, and landing - the checklists used least of all.

 

[RussR]

...and I bet that includes climb, cruise, descent/in-range, and landing - the checklists used least of all.

I do - because they're short and easy on this checklist. And I agree, many pilots use a checklist for the startup, maybe the runup - and then tuck it away so it's never seen again.

Here's the complete non-emergency checklist, printed on two sides of a half-width piece of paper. This is my edit of the school's checklist which I did shortly after starting flying the plane. Looking at it now, I see some more trimming I could definitely do now that I'm more familiar with the airplane. And yes, it has "Avionics Master" on it.

 

[EdFred]

Ugh. EFB checklists. Student had one on Foreflight. Good Lord, it took us 20 minutes to go through what should have take 3-5 mins tops even as a student. KISS. Paper in a pouch or laminated for 50c at Office Max. Way quicker than swiping to this page, then that page, doing the check box so you can mark it complete. Oops, double hit the check box, gotta hit it again to actually check it.

 

[Huckster79]

Definitely use POH as base and tweak from there.
I’ve customized mine to FF, as I used it I tweaked it to make it simple, efficient, ergonomic (as in flow makes sense). I don’t need minute details as others have said. I’m not prepping a 4 engined jet.

BUT I will say I really like the audio checklist feature of FF. Written Checklists are fine but lines can get skipped and I need to go back to it. With a Bluetooth audio headset she reads it to me as I do it, can’t skip a line! I’ve adjusted what it reads so that I have the appropriate time to perform the task- not too much, not too little. Makes Run up quick, easy and efficient.

 

[Jim Carpenter]

I use a printed checklist very similar to RussR's example above, for the Beech Duke, it only has maybe a few more line items total than his. And, I like the two-column half sheet width. Mine is folded in half (approx 4x11) with front and back, laminated, for easy one-handed grab. Emergency checklist is separate. Simple, quick to use, is better. For example, even with a twin, "Magnetos- check," is all that's needed, rather than, say, Left engine - check left mag, check right mag, return to both. Right engine - check left mag, check right mag, return to both, etc.

 

[Huckster79]

This is my checklist FF reads to me. Run up is 90 seconds.

 

[Trogdor]

The problem, to me, though is that you really need to make sure not to get carried away. If every time you forget something you add it to the checklist, the checklist can quickly become unwieldy and excessive. Better to work on flows or other memory aids, or just improving your overall awareness of what's going on. it has been my experience that the longer the checklist is, the less likely people are to actually use it.

- I've forgotten to remove the chocks before (duh), but that doesn't need to be on the checklist, I just need to make sure to look around better before getting in the airplane. It's not a safety consideration anyway, I'll know soon enough.
- I shouldn't need "verify GPS database" on my checklist because when I turn it on, it's going to make me verify it before I can use the unit anyway.
- Similarly, I shouldn't need "Avionics Master - On" on the checklist since it'll quickly become obvious that I'm staring at blank screens. (But I accept that this one is on almost every checklist I've seen, so I'm not hard over about it or anything.)

The best checklist I've seen (and use routinely) is one provided in my initial training for the PA-46. It is one piece of 8.5x11 paper, cut in half vertically, with everything up to takeoff on the front and everything past that on the back, in about 12-point font. With healthy margins. It's brief, gets the important items, and because it's short, gets used reliably every single step of the way.

For me, it’s been just the opposite. I just tend to forget stuff (or instead, not be consistent) and a thorough detailed checklist ensures I don’t.

Most of the time, I can whip through these pretty quick using the flow technique. But I’d like to hit the “check mark” to confirm it.

EDIT: I also think this is highly dependent on the airplane as well as the mission (an IFR flight might be A LOT more setup than pattern practice).

 

[Star Keeper]

I started off early in my training writing a checklist from the POH that worked for me. It starts in the cockpit setting it up for the walk around from the left a pillar around the left wing, fuselage, empennage, right fuselage, right wing, prop, spinner, belt, then another round for fuel sumps and oil check after turning off the lights and master. Its the workflow that is most natural in my head. What I do find I still need to work on is actively going to the after take-off, climb to cruise, descent, and pre-landing checklists more regularly. Unfortunately those aren't stressed very much in training at either flight school I went to and while they aren't too terribly difficult right now if I move into more complex aircraft those checklists become important. I also have a separate VERY OBVIOUS checklist for the non-memory emergency items.

 

[sarangan]

I encourage everyone to write their own checklists based on their personal habits and patterns. I have taken off without turning on the runway lights (mostly because my landing lights are so bright I didn't notice that the runway was not lit), so that is on my checklist now. On the other hand, I don't need the checklist to tell me that I need to reduce the throttle to descend.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Ugh. EFB checklists. Student had one on Foreflight. Good Lord, it took us 20 minutes to go through what should have take 3-5 mins tops even as a student. KISS. Paper in a pouch or laminated for 50c at Office Max. Way quicker than swiping to this page, then that page, doing the check box so you can mark it complete. Oops, double hit the check box, gotta hit it again to actually check it.

I've seen people use electronic checklists very quickly and efficiently. That seems to be especially true of newer Cirrus pilots who are taught how to use them effectively. The training actually goes into detail which should be treated as "do-lists" and which as verification of a flow". I'm sure that can be done with any eChecklist. The biggest problem I think is that many pilots have poor checklist use procedures (IMO the fault of flight schools which create and try to force use of checklists which beg to be ignored) and the bad habits just get transferred to the EFB.

OTOH, I've tried using electronic checklist and pretty much feel the same way you do. Personally unusable.

 

[Daleandee]

This is my checklist FF reads to me. Run up is 90 seconds.

Neat idea but her voice is a bit irritating ...

 

[Huckster79]

Neat idea but her voice is a bit irritating ...

lol, well I put up with more annoying voices than that for way to long a couple times now, so she doesn’t phase me. Lol.

 

[Huckster79]

Neat idea but her voice is a bit irritating ...

I never thought of it till u mentioned it- so I googled it. The voice is set in your iPhone/iPad settings! There are enhanced voices in there that don’t have the tinny robot sound as much! THANKS!

 

[Daleandee]

I never thought of it till u mentioned it- so I googled it. The voice is set in your iPhone/iPad settings! There are enhanced voices in there that don’t have the tinny robot sound as much! THANKS!

Perhaps you can find a voice that doesn't have that, "if you're a good boy" sound to it ...

 

[Huckster79]

Perhaps you can find a voice that doesn't have that, "if you're a good boy" sound to it ...

might try British or Australian English. Eons ago when I thought I was hot stuff with a garmin gps suction cupped to the windshield of my car I preferred the e-gals with an accent

 

[RussR]

This is my checklist FF reads to me. Run up is 90 seconds.

You do your runup with the carb heat on? Is that normal for that airplane?

 

[Therookguy]

Take the checklist(s) from the POH(s), and modify it/them as necessary for you. What works for you may not work for me, and may or may not work for the next guy.

I did this, but I did not remove or reorder anything from the original POH. Only added.

 

[Therookguy]

I've seen people use electronic checklists very quickly and efficiently. That seems to be especially true of newer Cirrus pilots who are taught how to use them effectively. The training actually goes into detail which should be treated as "do-lists" and which as verification of a flow". I'm sure that can be done with any eChecklist. The biggest problem I think is that many pilots have poor checklist use procedures (IMO the fault of flight schools which create and try to force use of checklists which beg to be ignored) and the bad habits just get transferred to the EFB.

OTOH, I've tried using electronic checklist and pretty much feel the same way you do. Personally unusable.

I use electronic checklists, but I don't use whatever nonsense foreflight or another efb gives you. I just use a PDF on good reader app and switch between it and foreflight. Best advantage is that I can just click a link or use the find function if I need an emergency checklist. Additionally I mount my ipad to a yoke, so all my checklists are right in front of me. No need to go digging in a POH or a pocket.

 

[Huckster79]

You do your runup with the carb heat on? Is that normal for that airplane?

yes it is! 1947 Cessna 140 w a c85- known ice maker. The POH, more like an owners manual than a true poh calls for carb heat in right after start up.


I also read every single accident reports in the ntsb for the c120/140- far too many power loss after take off and yet engine ran fine post forced landing or crash. That screams carb ice to me… maybe not all but inference says it’s highly plausible.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I use electronic checklists, but I don't use whatever nonsense foreflight or another efb gives you.

Sounds like you are making an assumption that these checklists are static take-it-or-leave it. The ones they provide tend to be complete - that's to be expected. But EFB and other electronic checklists are user-editable. You can even create your own from scratch. Nobody is forced to use any nonsense (or sense) they don't want to.

I have MiraCheck as a backup (and also because I have interested students). They are "virtually" identical to my personalized paper (and pdf) ones.

 

[unsafervguy]

most people don't use checklists. they use do lists which is the wrong way to operate. develop a flow that covers what needs to be done, then the check list covers that you have done the kill me now stuff. airlines and the FAA have spent a lot of money studying this and have gone this direction. over my time in the 121 world I have seen it go from 30 items on a before start to less than ten and 10 to 15 memory items on a aircraft to zero on the one I fly now. I hate most of the available commercially available checklist just for that reason. piper got it right years and years ago when they printed the important stuff right on the panel.

 

[Trobaugh]

Ugh. EFB checklists. Student had one on Foreflight. Good Lord, it took us 20 minutes to go through what should have take 3-5 mins tops even as a student. KISS. Paper in a pouch or laminated for 50c at Office Max. Way quicker than swiping to this page, then that page, doing the check box so you can mark it complete. Oops, double hit the check box, gotta hit it again to actually check it.

HA! I tried using the FF checklist just to see how it might work. I made it to starting the engine and went back to my nice tidy printed one.

 

[SkyDog58]

.... piper got it right years and years ago when they printed the important stuff right on the panel.

Like this one?

 

[Brad W]

......The biggest problem I think is that many pilots have poor checklist use procedures (IMO the fault of flight schools which create and try to force use of checklists which beg to be ignored) and .......

very well put. I especially appreciate "beg to be ignored"!

I was always certainly taught poor use of checklists.... many times on checkouts when they expect checklist compliance & I'd be fumbling through some multi page factory list form the manual watching the Hobbs tick along fumbling through silly things I'd already checked and triple checked.

Back when I was often renting a 172N model and I was very current and familiar, I developed a list for me that had evolved into a very efficient list, checking things that were not on the factory list while eliminating all or at least most of those things that were just begging to be ignored.

What works for me now may not work well at all for you...and it may not work well for me later!
Many years later as an extremely rusty pilot checking out in a similar (but much more tired) 172N model I tried using that same laminated list that was still in my flight bag and I'll admit that it just did not flow well at all. I felt very off balance with it. So much of that "very good" list was dependent on my familiarity at the time, my deeply engrained habits, etc....