Pre-launch Checklists.

The US "ABCCCDE" checklist seems to be a Schweizer thing - it's
placarded in the horrible things! Unfortunately, it is not really well
organized for more advanced gliders - no specific reference to flaps,
for example.

After transitioning from power to gliders via 2-33s and Blaniks, I
discovered the British "CBSIFTCB" on my own via Piggott. A much better
reminder for the ships I usually fly, especially since it leaves the
canopy and brakes to the end - important in hot weather. I now use it
for every glider I fly - especially 2-33s!

Note: Ballast can refer to both that required for proper CG (usually a
2-seater thing - and this is meant to be a check that you DID install
or remove it), or to the presence/absence of water ballast, which would
require adjustment of takeoff speeds, technique, etc..

Wonder what the Germans, French, Poles etc. use?

Kirk
LS6b 66

I had an ex-airforce pilot tell me that their method,
and his preferred method, was to simply go around the
cockpit methodically from left to right, touching everything
and making adjustments. Seemed to me an easy way to
skip something.


At 13:00 25 January 2006, wrote:
The US 'ABCCCDE' checklist seems to be a Schweizer
thing - it's
placarded in the horrible things! Unfortunately, it
is not really well
organized for more advanced gliders - no specific reference
to flaps,
for example.

After transitioning from power to gliders via 2-33s
and Blaniks, I
discovered the British 'CBSIFTCB' on my own via Piggott.
A much better
reminder for the ships I usually fly, especially since
it leaves the
canopy and brakes to the end - important in hot weather.
I now use it
for every glider I fly - especially 2-33s!

Note: Ballast can refer to both that required for
proper CG (usually a
2-seater thing - and this is meant to be a check that
you DID install
or remove it), or to the presence/absence of water
ballast, which would
require adjustment of takeoff speeds, technique, etc..

Wonder what the Germans, French, Poles etc. use?

Kirk
LS6b 66

Air Force (USAF, at least) checklists are arranged to go around the
cockpit from left aft, around the front, to the right aft. Makes the
flow of checking items smooth. But the checklist "lists" all the items
(and the position to be confirmed or set). What happens in practice is
you would hold the checklist at the correct page and go through the
items by memory (or listen to them being read by the copilot/WSO).

If done correctly, it will catch all the switches/controls/settings.
If done in a hurry, or totally by memory, or without thinking (easy to
do when you do it every day, sometimes several times a day), it is
surprisingly easy to miss items.

Sometimes, you just have to sit back and look at everything and think
about it for a moment....

Kirk
66

In message , Bruce
writes
Martin Gregorie wrote:
Don Johnstone wrote:

The version used in the UK almost universal, it is
one of the few things that most people seem to agree
on is

C - Controls
B - Ballast (includes tail dolly)
S - Straps
I - Instruments
F - Flaps
T - Trim
C - Canopy
B - Brakes
E - Eventualities

Personally, I find the final E to be in the right place, especially
for winch launch. It means the last thing I push onto my brain stack
is the direction to turn after a high winch launch failure. This means
that if I have a launch failure its "nose down -- got approach speed
-- look ahead -- (too high for land ahead)-TURN" and, because the turn
direction was the last thing into my memory, its the first thing that
pops out again and turning the correct way is a no-brainer.

We also teach the "E" with the accent on the pilot having done the self
briefing, and/or had one from an instructor. The eventualities item is
just a reminder that life is what happens while we are planning other
things. On a winch launch it pays , as Martin points out to know what
your plan is.

It appears that the mind works this way. Referring to the eventualities
plan as the last thing before initiating the launch, means it is top of
mind when/if something goes wrong.

So - the eventualities item is not a substitute for thought, but it
does help to trigger the correct information from current short term
memory in the event of things falling apart.

I personally have to have a couple of very different "Eventualities"
plans in my head. Consider the differences. We have a field with a
short section of reasonable grass, cut short and level at each end. In
the middle is over 1000m of much longer grass that the wildlife
continuously works on returning to it's natural lumpy state. To the
west there is a near parallel 1470m long tar runway varying from 150m
to 300m, closer on the downhill side than on the uphill side. Oh, I
almost forgot, the 60" tree between the runways at the uphill end.
Depending on whether I am flying a 27:1 high wing, skid equipped two
seater built like a brick outhouse, or my Std Cirrus with its low wings
and 36:1 performance, a cable break at say 200 feet will have very
different actions. Which will also vary depending on which direction
the wind is from, etc. You don't want to be mentally flipping through
permutations when the cable breaks at an awkward height.

I use the "E" to remind me, of the decisions I have made about
launching this specific airplane, on this runway with the current
weather.

Going through E on a deliberate site, conditions and aircraft basis is
vital every time. For instance, I fly from a nice large site with flat
land all around (mostly). If I get a winch failure and I am in a
position where I have to turn then down wind is usually the best option
(gives space and time as you turn back into wind to get into the site).
5 miles away is a ridge site which many of us fly from occasionally.
Here turning down wind would be very dodgy as you would go straight into
the curl over at a low height - guaranteed to be experience enhancing.

So do it last and work through everything that is different since the
last time you did this - wind (strength direction), type of launch
(winch aero), aircraft (ballast, has it got flaps, max launch speed all
that stuff) and so on and ask yourself "so what" at each stage. That
builds your get out of jail plan and as has been pointed out, the last
thing in the brain usually turns up as the first thing out.

Cheers

Robin
--
Robin Birch

Nyal Williams wrote:
I'd like to see posted various generalized, and glider-non-specific
pre-lauch checklists with the letters followed by explanation of what it
means.

I'm not a friend of large mnemonics, I've rather structured my checklist
by logic content. This gives me a reliable generic check list which is
valid for all gliders.

1) Glider preparation. (Rigging checks done, tail dolly, ballast etc.)

2) Strap myself. (This item also serves as a structure elment: group 1
cmopleted. In two seaters, passenger strapped and rear canopy locked
goes here.)

3) Instrument panel. (Just go around the panel and point to each
instrument. Radio check comes here, too.)

4) Mechanics. (Controls free, spoilers locked, flaps set, trim set.)

5) Canopy shut (Again, this serves a structure element: all checks done.)

6) Pre launch concentration phase. (Where is the go-no-go-decision
point; what to do if the cable breaks low, middle, high; what is the
safety altitude, what are the speeds to fly... Depends on glider, place,
wind etc.)

7) Get the cale hooked up. (Another structure element. No way I let
somebody hook up the cable before this point, regardless on how much
pressure they apply.)

8) Windsock, no people in the way, give ok sign.

This works for all situations and all gliders, I don't have to memorize
a long list and the risk of forgetting something is minimal.

Stefan

At 18:24 25 January 2006, Stefan wrote:
This works for all situations and all gliders, I don't
have to memorize
a long list and the risk of forgetting something is
minimal.

Stefan

There are 8 items in your list, as many as CBSIFTCB,
but no structure or mnemonic. Easy to forget something.

At 18:06 25 January 2006, Robin Birch wrote:
In message , Bruce


C - Controls
B - Ballast (includes tail dolly)
S - Straps
I - Instruments
F - Flaps
T - Trim
C - Canopy
B - Brakes
E - Eventualities

Personally, I find the final E to be in the right
place, especially
for winch launch. It means the last thing I push onto
my brain stack
is the direction to turn after a high winch launch
failure. This means
that if I have a launch failure its 'nose down --
got approach speed
-- look ahead -- (too high for land ahead)-TURN' and,
because the turn
direction was the last thing into my memory, its the
first thing that
pops out again and turning the correct way is a no-brainer.

We also teach the 'E' with the accent on the pilot
having done the self
briefing, and/or had one from an instructor. The eventualities
item is
just a reminder that life is what happens while we
are planning other
things. On a winch launch it pays , as Martin points
out to know what
your plan is.

It appears that the mind works this way. Referring
to the eventualities
plan as the last thing before initiating the launch,
means it is top of
mind when/if something goes wrong.

So - the eventualities item is not a substitute for
thought, but it
does help to trigger the correct information from current
short term
memory in the event of things falling apart.

I personally have to have a couple of very different
'Eventualities'
plans in my head. Consider the differences. We have
a field with a
short section of reasonable grass, cut short and level
at each end. In
the middle is over 1000m of much longer grass that
the wildlife
continuously works on returning to it's natural lumpy
state. To the
west there is a near parallel 1470m long tar runway
varying from 150m
to 300m, closer on the downhill side than on the uphill
side. Oh, I
almost forgot, the 60' tree between the runways at
the uphill end.
Depending on whether I am flying a 27:1 high wing,
skid equipped two
seater built like a brick outhouse, or my Std Cirrus
with its low wings
and 36:1 performance, a cable break at say 200 feet
will have very
different actions. Which will also vary depending on
which direction
the wind is from, etc. You don't want to be mentally
flipping through
permutations when the cable breaks at an awkward height.

I use the 'E' to remind me, of the decisions I have
made about
launching this specific airplane, on this runway with
the current
weather.

Going through E on a deliberate site, conditions and
aircraft basis is
vital every time. For instance, I fly from a nice
large site with flat
land all around (mostly). If I get a winch failure
and I am in a
position where I have to turn then down wind is usually
the best option
(gives space and time as you turn back into wind to
get into the site).
5 miles away is a ridge site which many of us fly from
occasionally.
Here turning down wind would be very dodgy as you would
go straight into
the curl over at a low height - guaranteed to be experience
enhancing.

So do it last and work through everything that is different
since the
last time you did this - wind (strength direction),
type of launch
(winch aero), aircraft (ballast, has it got flaps,
max launch speed all
that stuff) and so on and ask yourself 'so what' at
each stage. That
builds your get out of jail plan and as has been pointed
out, the last
thing in the brain usually turns up as the first thing
out.

You will get no argument from me that all the items
mentioned in the eventualities are absolutely essential
but my argument is that they should have all been considered
long before the bum was put on the seat. Going through
a long list of things with the canopy shut in the winter
means you mist up and in the summer you cook. If these
items are hurried because of either of these two factors
they are of less benefit . Are glider pilots really
that stupid that they cannot grasp the necessities
of good airmanship and hold them in their brains long
enough to take the correct action. I have always done
an eventualities check but as part of my pre flight
brief/self brief.
Remember that in the UK the pilot does not order the
launch to commence, someone does that for him and yes
I have seen an instructor and a student launch with
the student still doing his eventualities. At a busy
launch point closing the canopy is often the signal
for attaching the cable and from then on the launch
sequence progresses outwith the pilots control, the
only thing the pilot can do is stop it.

Don

A check list is there to confirm that certain actions
have been completed, and pick up those that have not.

Having the item 'E-eventualities' at the end of the
checklist need not be a prompt for a lecture. The
response to 'E' could simply be 'as briefed'.

Can't see any logical argument for removing it.

Keith





Going through
a long list of things with the canopy shut in the winter
means you mist up and in the summer you cook. If these
items are hurried because of either of these two factors
they are of less benefit . Are glider pilots really
that stupid that they cannot grasp the necessities
of good airmanship and hold them in their brains long
enough to take the correct action. I have always done
an eventualities check but as part of my pre flight
brief/self brief.

I spent many hours observing flight test pilots and the systems they
were testing. The procedure that seemed to be universal for before
engine start was to set up all the systems by memory using the same
flow, and then to check the systems configuration by use a checklist.

Andy

" Remember that in the UK the pilot does not order the
launch to commence, someone does that for him"

Wow! that changed since I was there. What happened to one finger for
take up slack and 2 fingers for "all out". How is it done now?

Andy