JAFO wrote:Genghis the Engineer wrote:Reading any checklist whilst flying a PFL is likely to fail your skill test!
Genghis, while I wouldn't have thought about using a checklist on a PFL in a skills test myself, @Irv Lee pointed out that the standards document says:
Checklists
Throughout the flight the applicant will be expected to use the aeroplane checklist. The applicant is to assume that the test is the first flight of the day. Airborne checks may be completed from memory, or from alternative notes, but must be in accordance with the checklist and with each check item spoken aloud
So, why would use of a checklist be an automatic failure?
Because immediate actions in the event of an emergency, should be known and carried out.
The use of a printed checklist in the management of an emergency is something you do if there's enough time and good enough reason to do so -otherwise it is a distraction and poor airmanship.
Personally I virtually never use printed checklists in the air for any reason, and I'd say in light GA that should absolutely be the norm. We aren't flying airliners at 30,000ft where you have minutes, possibly hours, before the adrenaline rush; nor are we in multi-crew cockpits where one pilot can manage the aircraft when another can manage the checklist. We're flying small aircraft, single pilot operated, that lose height quickly in the event of a power failure, and where the available options are simple and limited - so we should jolly well know what those options are and how to carry them out. That may often include memorised mnemonics, which is of-course another form of non-printed checklist, so is cockpit flow.
IF there's then time, using the checklist to confirm you didn't miss anything important is great, only then.
G
I am Spartacus, and so is my co-pilot.