![]() The segmented checklist enhances your ability to manage the cockpit and comply with standard operating procedures. Your verbal responses are as follows: When the airplane is prepared for arrival, you announce, "Before-landing checklist complete down to final items - gear, prop(s), and flaps to go." When these remaining items have been accomplished, you announce, "Before-landing checklist complete." You complete the final items after the landing gear, propeller(s), and flaps are positioned for landing. ![]() It should be completed to "final items" just before you leave cruise altitude, because these items are a distraction if you attempt to execute them and read the checklist while descending or entering the traffic pattern. The before-landing checklist works much the same way. ![]() After the runup, you announce, "Before-takeoff checklist complete down to final items." When you are number one for takeoff, announce, "Before-takeoff checklist complete - lights, camera, action to go." To help make sure that you've followed each step and you don't forget where you left off, make a few announcements out loud, even if you're alone in the airplane. These items are executed when you are cleared onto the runway for takeoff. You go on to complete the final items when you are number one for takeoff, with the exception of lights, camera, action. This stopping point is convenient when there are takeoff delays or when the runup area is not located at the end of the active runway. The before-takeoff checklist is meant to be completed down to "final items" after you conduct the engine runup and systems checks. Notice that each checklist is divided into two sections. Pilots who operate under Part 91 of the federal aviation regulations (that includes most noncommercial operations) can create their own checklists, providing that they contain each element that is published in the POH checklist. I added "compass alignment," "engine idle," and "lights, camera, action" to the existing list. The segmented checklists included here were derived from a Beech Bonanza V35 pilot's operating handbook (POH). The before-takeoff and before-landing checklists adapt well to this concept. This yields operational flexibility, making it more convenient to use the checklist. Segmented checklists, however, are constructed so that specific segments are completed at appropriate times. Traditionally, written checklists are designed to be carried out from beginning to end all at once. No matter the reason, failing to use the checklist is a mistake. The answer is usually related to aircraft familiarity, inconvenience, or workload. If I see a pilot ignore the written checklist, I always ask why. Pilots who believe in checklists usually use flow patterns and mental checklists to prepare an airplane for a specific task they then back up those actions with the appropriate written checklist. The FAA's practical test standards clearly state that pilots must use appropriate written checklists, yet the accident record shows that some pilots don't. All pilots have been taught the importance of using written checklists, but a few ignore this flight safety resource.
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