On Sat, 4 Sep 2004 19:00:35 UTC, Bruce Greeff
wrote:

: It's a good discipline to use the checklist - much more important to understand
: why each item is there. If all you are doing is going "lookout - check I am
: looking out" you are wasting your time with the checklist.
:
: No personal slight intended, but as a general comment I have found that if I
: find there is a generally accepted practice in flying that one can't see the
: value of, it is important to find out why it has become generally accepted
: practice.

A good point. The difficulty comes from an inherent contradiction: if
safety comes from considering your (ie one's) actions fully, surely
accepting somebody else's checklist is quite the opposite? Not to
mention the problem that - in the UK anyway - there is no genrally
accepted practice. There are lots of different versions of the
downwind check list - which should one use? Should it always be the
longest possible?

Personally, I think the best idea is to work out a personal check
list, where each item appears as a result of thought and decision.
And, of course, discussion with other pilots and instructors,
intelligent reading of accident reports and so on.

I use USTAL. U(ndercarriage) is there because I normally fly wooden
gliders, and it reminds me to think about whether there is a skid
there to use in extremis. It's a good time to rethink my target
S(peed). T(rim) is pointless, I reckon, but I can't forget it, damn
it. A(irbrakes) might freeze shut and L(anding area) is my cue to make
sure that I have Plans A, B and C clear in my mind.

I don't waste time reminding myself that I don't have F(laps) or
W(ater), and I've thought about (W)ind long, long before. And I don't
mutter L(ookout) to myself because it might distract me from the
important business of looking out.

Ian

PS And why on earth do we, before launch, check the controls before
making sure that we're within the weight limits for the glider?