Landing Check Lists

I was taught TOWARD

T - Traffic
O - Obstacles
W - Wind
A - Airspeed
R - Retracts
D - Dive Brakes

I still use it but I've added "gear down and locked" to my radio call.
If I start flying with ballast, I'll most likely need to change it
though.

Ray Warshaw

You have received quite a few replies but so far I don't think anyone
has has distinguished between written check lists as recommended by FAA
and mnemonics usually favored by glider pilots.

I use a written checklist to ensure that I have done everything
required to prepare myself and the glider for flight. That is
completed before grid time and rechecked before the contest launch
starts. After that I use no written checklists. I shudder to think
how those that can't extent the gear on short final would cope with the
task of finding, reading, executing, and stowing a checklist. I'd
rather have my eyes outside.

Mnemonic CBIFTCB covers everything I need for takeoff. I use WUFST
(water, undercarriage, flaps, speed, trim) for landing.

Andy

Thanks to all who have replied. My interest comes
from instructing students and giving them a consistent
procedure. Several answers were from pilots with lots
of experience and with very short checklists, which
is fine, of course. I wanted to see how many different
lists were in use. My own procedure is
W water dump
U undercarriage down
F flap setting
S pattern speed
T trim
A air brakes test
R radio
E enter pattern

I seldom fly with water, and rarely fly a flapped glider,
but by running this list through my head every time
I fly, I will have a ready reminder to save me from
embarrassment. I fly fixed gear, mostly, with students.
Without doing this it is likely that I might not lower
the gear in my own glider.

I insist on doing it all before entering the pattern
so as to have eyes outside only at that point. I'm
also in close enough, and with enough altitude, that
if the airbrakes jammed open I could still get to
the runway.

Critique, if you like. I intend to take down all these
lists and offer them up for discussion at one of our
club meetings.



At 15:18 28 December 2005, Andy wrote:
You have received quite a few replies but so far I
don't think anyone
has has distinguished between written check lists as
recommended by FAA
and mnemonics usually favored by glider pilots.

I use a written checklist to ensure that I have done
everything
required to prepare myself and the glider for flight.
That is
completed before grid time and rechecked before the
contest launch
starts. After that I use no written checklists. I
shudder to think
how those that can't extent the gear on short final
would cope with the
task of finding, reading, executing, and stowing a
checklist. I'd
rather have my eyes outside.

Mnemonic CBIFTCB covers everything I need for takeoff.
I use WUFST
(water, undercarriage, flaps, speed, trim) for landing.


Andy

Nyal,

No critique, this is a good discussion, and buried in it seems to be
the concensus by experienced pilots that the checks, in whatever form,
should be done before pattern entry and not while in the pattern
actively in the process of landing.

Cheers!

Kirk

Nyal,
I use TOWARD . Traffic, Obstacles, Wind(direction and speed),
Airspeed, Retractable gear(down), Dive brakes(check). Not as good as
GUMP for power flying, but easy to remember.

Dean Chantiles "GO"