Beyond the Routine: Understanding Aviation Checklists
In aviation, a checklist is a structured step-by-step guide that pilots use to ensure that all necessary procedures are completed correctly before, during, and after a flight. Checklists cover everything from pre-flight inspections and engine start-up to landing procedures and emergency actions. Checklists alone cannot fly a plane, but they can make choices easier and prompt people to function better as a team. From the B-17 to modern airliners, let's explore their history, types, and uses.
Why Do Pilots Use Checklists
Checklists are a fundamental safety tool in aviation and ensure precision, consistency, and error prevention in every phase of flight. In commercial aviation, checklists are a non-negotiable practice, with pilots cross-checking each step to ensure nothing is missed.
Reliance on memory can lead to mistakes, especially under pressure. Checklists have a proven track record of enhancing safety and preventing accidents. Pilots rely on checklists for the following primary reasons.
Prevents Human Error – Even the most experienced pilots can overlook steps under stress or fatigue. A checklist ensures critical procedures are never skipped.
Enhances Situational Awareness – Pilots stay focused and organised by following a checklist, and managing cockpit tasks efficiently while maintaining full awareness of the flight environment.
Standardised Procedures – Airlines and flight schools rely on checklists to ensure consistent operations across pilots and crews, reducing the risk of miscommunication and mistakes.
Essential in Emergencies – Quick access to an emergency checklist helps respond calmly and correctly to critical issues like engine failures, fires, or system malfunctions.
Aviation may have pioneered the structured use of checklists. Besides, they are also widely used in other high-risk industries where precision and consistency are vital. Let's take medical techniques as surgical checklists to enhance teamwork in operating rooms and emergency care. NASA and other space agencies rely on detailed procedural checklists to ensure mission success and astronaut safety. Industrial sectors use quality control checklists to maintain high safety standards.
Stay vigilant and safe in the skies! Learn about the 12 critical human factors that impact flight safety in our blog The Dirty Dozen: 12 Critical Human Factors.
The Rise of Checklists in Aviation
Boeing Model 299 Crash
For nearly three decades, aviation operations lacked the unified flight operations checks we know today. The widespread use of aviation checklists began after the 1935 crash of the Boeing Model 299 prototype (later known as the B-17 Flying Fortress) at Wright Field. Despite its advanced design, the aircraft crashed due to a pilot oversight—the crew failed to disengage the gust locks, preventing proper control.
In response, Boeing test pilots developed the first aviation checklist, ensuring pilots systematically completed critical steps before takeoff, flight, and landing. This innovation revolutionised aviation safety, leading to the mandatory use of checklists in both commercial and military aviation.
One of the key figures in advocating checklists as best practice was Captain Richard L. Collins, a respected pilot and aviation writer who highlighted their role in preventing pilot errors. Over time, airlines, regulatory agencies, and aircraft manufacturers formalised checklists as a global safety standard, making them an essential tool in modern flight operations.
Explore the legacy of Boeing. Discover the revolutionary aircraft that have shaped modern aviation in our latest blog A Rise of Boeing: Planes That Changed the World.
Who Regulates Aviation Checklists
All pilots rely on checklists from the Cessna 172 to the Airbus A320 to ensure safe and precise operations. These essential documents are developed and approved by a combination of aviation regulatory authorities and aircraft manufacturers. The specific authority overseeing checklists varies depending on the aircraft type, operating environment, and regulatory jurisdiction.
Manufacturer checklists form the basis for aircraft operation. Boeing, Airbus, Cessna, Piper, Diamond, etc. work closely with aviation authorities to ensure these checklists meet regulatory requirements.
Civil aviation regulators approve and enforce checklist use in commercial and general aviation. For example, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulates aviation safety in Europe and the UK. UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) sets checklist standards for pilots and airlines operating in the UK. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) establishes global best practices, ensuring standardised procedures across different countries.
Airlines and flight schools adapt checklists within regulatory guidelines. Flight schools train student pilots using manufacturer-approved checklists, ensuring safe learning environments. Some large operators develop customised checklists that must still comply with EASA, CAA, or FAA regulations.
Get ready for Operational Procedures in your ATPL exam prep! From checklists to emergency protocols, this topic equips you with the skills to navigate any situation in the cockpit.
Common Types of Checklists in Aviation
Different types of checklists are used at various stages of flight to cover normal, abnormal, and emergencies.
Normal checklists guide pilots through routine flight operations and ensure that all necessary tasks are completed in the correct order. They cover key phases of flight.
Abnormal checklists are used when something is not quite right, but the situation is not immediately life-threatening. These checklists help pilots diagnose and correct minor issues before they escalate.
Emergency checklists are critical in high-stress situations where quick, correct action is required. They provide guidance to handle life-threatening scenarios.
Here are the most common checklists that pilots use.
Normal Checklists
Pre-Flight Checklist
Before stepping into the cockpit, pilots must ensure the aircraft is ready for flight. This checklist ensures the aircraft is airworthy before starting the engine. Includes checks on fuel levels, controls, instruments, and external surfaces.
Before Start Checklist
Once in the cockpit, pilots perform a series of checks before starting the engine to ensure all systems are properly set. Key steps include avionics and electrical setup, fuel system checks, and passenger briefings.
Engine Start Checklist
Starting the engine requires precise coordination of fuel, air, and ignition systems. This checklist ensures a smooth start-up sequence, including fuel mixture settings, ignition, and electrical system checks.
Before Take-off Checklist
Before lining up on the runway, pilots double-check critical flight systems, including flight controls, flap settings, trim position, and take-off briefings. Last-minute checks help catch any overlooked issues before committing to take-off.
Climb Checklist
Once airborne, pilots must transition from take-off power to climb settings while maintaining aircraft performance. It ensures proper engine performance, climb power settings, and transition to cruise flight.
Cruise Checklist
At cruising altitude, the focus shifts to fuel efficiency, engine parameters, system monitoring, and navigation accuracy.
Descent Checklist
As the destination approaches, pilots must prepare for a controlled descent and landing approach. Key steps include reducing speed, setting approach configurations, and briefing for arrival.
Before Landing Checklist
Pilots perform last-minute safety checks before touchdown, such as landing gear deployment, flap settings, and approach speed verification speed adjustments. This helps prevent unstabilised approaches that could result in hard landings or go-arounds.
After Landing Checklist
Once the aircraft is safely on the ground, post-landing checks ensure a safe taxi to the gate or parking area, including retracting flaps, turning off unnecessary lights, and verifying brake function.
Shutdown Checklist
Arriving at the parking area, pilots must secure the aircraft and power down, securing the aircraft, and final post-flight checks.
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Abnormal Checklists
Engine Rough Running Checklist
Provides steps to troubleshoot engine misfires or performance issues.
Electrical Failure Checklist
Covers loss of electrical power or failure of individual systems (e.g., alternator or battery issues).
Cabin Pressurisation Issue Checklist
Used in aircraft with pressurised cabins to address issues like altitude warnings or cabin depressurisation.
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Emergency Checklists
Engine Failure Checklist
Used in case of engine failure during or after take-off, in-flight, or during landing.
Fire Checklist
Covers engine fire, electrical fire, or cabin fire scenarios, including emergency shutdown procedures.
Forced Landing Checklist
Guides pilots through an emergency landing when an engine failure or other issue prevents a normal approach.
Smoke or Fumes in Cockpit Checklist
Helps pilots identify and eliminate smoke sources while maintaining safe control.
Flight Control Malfunction Checklist
Covers stuck rudder, aileron, or elevator issues, allowing pilots to troubleshoot control problems.
Memory Checklists
Memory checklists, also known as Immediate Action Items, are critical emergency procedures that pilots must memorise and execute instinctively as there is no time to refer to a written checklist.
Engine Fire During Start Checklist
If an engine fire occurs during startup, pilots must act immediately to prevent the flames from spreading and causing further damage.
Throttle – Idle (reducing fuel supply to the fire).
Mixture – Cut off (stopping fuel flow to the engine).
Ignition – Off (cutting electrical power to prevent further combustion).
Fuel Selector – Off (eliminating fuel source).
Evacuate Aircraft (if flames persist, exit immediately and use fire extinguishers if available).
Engine Failure After Take-off Checklist
One of the most high-risk emergencies. Pilots must react immediately and instinctively to maintain control and avoid a stall.
Pitch for Best Glide Speed – Maximising glide range to increase landing options.
Identify a Safe Landing Area – Selecting a clear field, road, or open area straight ahead (turning back is often too risky).
Mixture – Cut Off (to prevent fuel from feeding a fire).
Fuel Selector – Off (shutting down the fuel system).
Flaps – As Required (depending on the landing situation).
Master & Magnetos – Off (to shut down electrical power and reduce fire risk).
Rejected Take-off Checklist
A rejected take-off (also called an aborted take-off) is performed when a serious issue arises before reaching take-off speed, such as engine failure, system malfunction (brakes, hydraulics, instruments, etc.), runway obstruction, ATC cancellation of clearance.
Throttle – Idle (immediately reducing power).
Brakes – Apply Firmly (to stop safely within the runway).
Maintain Directional Control (using rudder and nosewheel steering).
Flaps – Retract (if deployed).
Advise ATC (if applicable) (for commercial operations).
General Aviation (GA) and Commercial Aviation Checklists
Checklists are the backbone of safe and efficient flight operations in general aviation (GA) and commercial aviation, but their structure, complexity, and execution can differ significantly. General aviation pilots have more flexibility, while commercial pilots must adhere to strict, standardised procedures that ensure consistency and safety in multi-crew operations.
This chart highlights the key differences in checklist usage between General Aviation (GA) and Commercial Aviation.
Let’s briefly explore the main differences in examples.
A GA Before Take-off Checklist may include 5–10 key items, while an airline checklist includes flaps, autobrakes, anti-ice systems, and crew briefings. GA Pilots use a Read-Do or Do-Verify method, executing tasks solo and verifying them after completion. Commercial Pilots follow a Challenge-Response format, where one pilot calls out checklist items and the other verifies each step. A private pilot in a Piper PA-28 might skip a minor step, while an airline captain in a Boeing 777 must strictly follow the airline’s SOP-approved checklist.
Commercial Checklists are strictly regulated by EASA, UK CAA, FAA, and ICAO and must be approved by both manufacturers and airlines. Pilots cannot modify or skip checklist items unless specified in emergency protocols.
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Airhead Takeaways
Each checklist is important for making sure flights are safe, fast, and organised. Whether you’re flying a Cessna 152 for your first solo or commanding a Boeing 737 across Europe, mastering checklists is a fundamental skill. These standardised procedures help mitigate risks, prevent errors, and ensure that every flight and mission proceeds smoothly and securely, contributing to the overall success and reputation of the industry.
