Full before landing checklist in the pattern?

I learned that on my checkride...

After a fairly smooth Oral exam, we go out and preflight the plane. We get
in the plane and it is time to go.

It was December, and cold, so the Line Guys had the engine pre-heated and
(mistakenly) told me to use the Hot Start checklist. It was an old plane,
and always gave trouble hot starting. Different instructors and line guys
all had their own "tricks" that they used to get it started.

Of course, that day, none of the tricks I tried worked. And after a few
tries, the DE failed me on the spot. I said that I thought if there was a
mechanical failure of the plane, it should be a reschedule, not a fail. The
DE said that I failed to use the checklist to start the plane, and had I
properly used the checklist, it probably would have started, and even if it
didn't I would not have failed. He also explained to me why what I did
probably caused a vapor lock...

I learned that day that the tricks and secrets that different people have
are probably just old wives tales, and if I want to fly properly, I stick
to the approved checklist in the POH.

And furthermore, that way, if something goes wrong, I have no one to blame
but the manufacturer or the A&P...

Fortunately, the next day, I had no trouble starting the plane, and no
trouble passing my test... And as far as learning that valuable lesson, I
feel lucky that I didn't have to learn that lesson the 'hard way'
(disappointing as it was)...



"Kiwi Jet Jock" wrote in
:

For many years I've observed many (most?) who are accustomed to flying
without checklists ...

3/4 don't check the brakes when they first start to taxi - another 3/4
don't verify they can draw fuel from BOTH tanks prior to runups - 1/2
don't switch on the beacon - 1/2 don't check the vacuum - the list goes
on an on. The problem is the pilots fly the plane the way they were
taught by a person who flys it the way they were taught and so on - in
many cases these instructors have developed lazy / undiciplined habits
over the years - which get passed on to the next person.

By using checklists (and getting used to using checklists) nothing EVER
gets forgotten - and habits are well formed when pilots transition to
higher performance aircraft (where transitioning pilots may initially
be 2 miles behind the aircraft - and checklists become more important
than ever).






"Judah" wrote in message
...
These guys are probably the same ones that tell you that since it's a
school plane, you can use the "abbreviated preflight checklist" and
just check for fuel and oil before going up.

If your students never plan to fly any plane besides the one that they
were trained it, it MIGHT be OK to abbreviate the checklist to cover
only those items that are "applicable" to their plane.

But if you want to train someone to be a good pilot, you build good
habits, which may include checking things that are easy to "assume".

JMHO..

BoDEAN wrote in
:

How many people do / teach doing a full before landing checklist
when doing pattern work? I do with my students, but other cfi's I
work with use a quick / abbreviated one for our Cessna 172/152