The Internet is a wild place and some people really display their arrogance.
I was skimming through quora yesterday and a guy, who at least flies the Cessna 172, asked why the air force allows its pilots to cheat by using a checklist. “I never use a checklist when I fly my Cessna!”
I’m super early on in my studying but wow, this guy is scary and obviously doesn’t understand the concept of a checklist. I used to use checklists in my daily life in China to stay on top of things. I’ve gotten away from that and it seems I’m always forgetting something.
As far as I know, checklists are not the same as a flow and are just that, a check list, a list to check that very important tasks have been completed.
The whole post reminded me of the bad attitude/antidote section in the PAR studying.
I think it’s less poor attitude and more a lack of understanding. I’ve seen many pilots over the years take pride in memorizing checklists (something a 5yo can do). They clearly don’t understand safety and the purpose of the checklist. Sadly it’s very pervasive.
For sure. I was blown away by another pilot who swore off checklists and cited the Stewart Payne depressurization. The pilots didn’t put on their oxygen masks before working through a checklist because the checklist didn’t say to put on masks first.
I don’t understand why individuals don’t use a checklist, it is what could be a make it - or break it action. Let’s say you never removed a gust lock on an aircraft (it has happened to a gulfstream and others) and you go for takeoff and try to rotate, and the elevator never adjusts pitch for takeoff… now you runoff the runway not only risking the lives on the plane, but others in the surroundings.
Those that do not use a checklist are the ones with bad and hazardous attitudes. I’ve always preached to students in a simulator training session to always use a checklist as well, so that when they get to the actual aircraft its second nature.
This is definitely an interesting topic. A agree that it’s probably more of a lack of understanding. At a basic level, that pilot may think he is “too good” to use a checklist. In reality, a great pilot realizes that checklists make you safer. Sure when everything is smooth and slow it may seem “unnecessary” because sure you know the plane, but complacency and distractions creep in to situations. That’s when a situation can turn dangerous. As humans, we are prone to making mistakes, the checklist is there to mitigate our human behaviors and make sure we always stay in safe operations.