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DIY Checklists
Improving safety and efficiency
while learning the airplane. by Alex Jones
General aviation checklists are often long and contain unnecessary detail. As pilots f lying under FAR Part 91, we have the freedom to create our own checklists, and there are some
great advantages to doing this. Pilot-created checklists can be shorter, more relevant and better organized than the POH versions. Most importantly, writing a checklist offers a chance to truly get to know the airplane because it requires careful scrutiny of every item in the POH checklist. I wrote my own checklist for my Baron G58 when I bought it in 2015.
Using Flows
First, we should consider how checklists are used. It is less efficient and more time-consuming to use a checklist as a “read-do” list – reading an item, then looking up to check a control or position a switch. I am a firm believer
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PHOTOS BY AUTHOR
in a “do-verify” type of checklist, also known as a flow. For the initial cockpit check, for example, I start at the top right corner of the control panel and work my way down across the bottom, over the left side, and end up in the throttle quadrant. This way, I can accomplish over a dozen checks and tasks before looking at the checklist to make sure I’ve done all of them. Because they come in a logical order, I am less likely to miss something and more likely to spot it if I have.
Checklist Construction
My checklist is in an IFR Flight File made by AERO Phoenix (available at many online pilot shops). This holds NACO or Jeppesen-sized paper approach plates in transparent plastic sleeves. It’s also lightweight with a durable plastic cover and is easy to tuck between my left leg and the sidewall when not in use. I print out the checklist