In article ,
"Peter R." wrote:

I was curious whether it is common for pilots to
pull out their instrument charts after learning of or deciding upon what
runway is in use/to use at an unfamiliar airport. It seems to me that with
the workload of pre-taxi, taxi, and pre-takeoff checklists, this item is
probably not a task many pilots perform. Or do they?

As part of my pre-departure IFR procedures, I was taught to set up the
panel and cockpit for an immediate instrument approach to return to the
departure airport.
That means have the approach plate out for approach to be used and
configure the second nav for the frequency of the navaid. Listen to
assure the identifier is audible and check that the indicator display is
appropriate.