On Mar 27, 12:31*pm, "Matt Herron Jr." wrote:
On Mar 26, 10:09*am, Andy wrote:









However I have never used a written checklist, or action list, for
takeoff or landing in a glider. *The check list goes away before I get
in and does not come out again until I'm back at the trailer.

No doubt people miss required actions when under pressure, but does a
checklist help in single pilot operations? *Crews of military aircraft
and of large civil transport aircraft are required to memorize the
required response for all situations requiring immediate action. *Only
after the sequence has been executed is it confirmed by use of a
checklist. *Even routine tasks such as cockpit preparation are
performed without a check list, typically using a "flow" technique.
Only when it is all done is the the checklist used for confirmation.

I'm still capable of remembering a mnemonic action list long enough to
cover a glider pre-takeoff or landing check. *When I can't remember
the list I'll probably be too old, fatigued, dehydrated, or scared to
remember to get the checklist out.

Andy

Checklists save lives in where complex, life threatening tasks are
involved such as flying, surgery, etc. *Its a proven fact. *I probably
don't need a checklist either when everything is going great. But when
my assembly is interrupted, or I have to get out of the cockpit on the
flight line for some reason, or I am landing in a field, or a whole
string of seemingly small things stack up to a situation, I want my
lists. *You are a very lucky man to have never forgotten to do
anything important in your flying career. *I wish I could say the
same.

For those interested, check out "The Checklist Manifesto" by Atul
Gawande

Matt Jr.

That's all great, but there aren't a lot of life threatening tasks
when landing a glider. Heck, in a 1-26, the only one is checking the
direction of the wind prior to entering the pattern - and even that
could be considered airmanship, not a task. In more complex gliders,
if you forget to dump your ballast you could fly the pattern too slow,
or if you leave the gear up it could get expensive fast, but what else
is life threatening - that isn't really just flying the glider?

I'm all for assembly checklists, and leave the house checklists, and
before leaving the glider field checklists - but gliders are simply
not complex enough to need lengthy inflight checklists. If they make
you feel better, fine, but the downside is that while you are reading
an going through a list of items, you are not flying the glider and
looking out very much - which is A LOT MORE IMPORTANT in the landing
pattern.

The example with doctors is misleading. I seriously doubt the surgeon
goes through a checklist before every action during an operation.
What he does is go through a pre-surgery checklist (like our assembly
check) and a post-surgery checklist (make sure nothing is left in the
patient), but he doesn't need a
1. grasp scalpel with right hand
2. place scalpel tip on patients skin
3. push until it bleeds
checklist!

In the complicated jets I used to fly in, our checklists were to make
sure all the required switches and checks were accomplished when
needed. And they were mainly done as "after the fact" challenge
response to verify completion - not by reading and doing one step at a
time. In a rush, the checks were done quickly and confirmed when
convenient.

Anyway, do whatever floats your boat, but don't read a checklist in
the pattern, please!

Kirk
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