Subscriber question:
"I just bought a share in a new Bonanza. I’m getting a checkout from an instructor specializing in Bonanzas. But what else can I do to help learn the airplane?" —Hailey R.
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Don:
“You can make your own checklists.
I bought a Bonanza when I was in the final years of a 34-year airline pilot career. As part of my transition training, I picked up the third-party checklist that the previous owner had used and started to learn the flow—but wait, there was no flow.
The sequence of items across the panel was more like an Etch-a-Sketch exercise than an efficient way to get things done without error.
My solution was creating a checklist that followed a smooth flow across the cockpit, covering everything the POH says needs to be done for each phase of flight, from startup to shutdown. That’s what I suggest you do as well.
The process of making a checklist also forces you to think about each action: Why are you doing it? What does it accomplish and what are you looking for when that action occurs? How does it contribute to a safe flight? There are some people who advocate redoing the checklists every few years to reconsider elements that have become habit. Are they good habits or is there room for improvement?
Cumbersome, inefficient checklists just don’t get used. Or, at least, not used well. Make yourself a good one. Creating it will help you learn your airplane, and using it will be an essential element for a safe (and fun) flight.”
What checklist do you use for your airplane?