Preflight Planning Dispatch Checklist

Background and rationale

Depending on the regulations under which an aircraft will operate, the FAA and ICAO have established provisions to ensure that appropriate information is gathered and considered before flight. It is extremely important for pilots to be well-prepared ahead of time with the information they will need to make good aeronautical decisions. If he/she waits until airborne, the pilot workload may become such that the pilot could be distracted by information gathering tasks when more critical tasks need to be accomplished to keep the flight flying safely. Or critical information simply may not be available to the pilot in flight that would have been available to him/her on the ground. Either case could lead to poor aeronautical decision making (ADM) and cause an aircraft accident or incident. The FAA has identified several "hazardous attitudes" in pilots that lead to accidents. One of which is "impulsivity". Even if a pilot does not demonstrate the "impulsivity" hazardous attitude, and believes he/she is performing adequate preflight preparation, without a checklist important preflight task items may be missed.

According to historian and writer Atul Gawande, the concept of a pre-flight checklist was first introduced by management and engineers at Boeing Corporation following the 1935 crash of a prototype B-17 at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, killing both pilots. Investigation found that the pilots had forgotten to disengage a critical wing adjustment mechanism prior to take-off. Life magazine published the resulting lengthy and detailed B-17 checklist in its 24 August 1942 issue.[1]

The following checklist is developed to help aviators ensure they consider as much information as possible in the preflight phase so that they can make the best go/no-go decision possible and will be well-prepared once flying the flight where workload may constrain the ability to perform these tasks adequately. It is hoped that using this checklist, pilots can avoid the 5 P's: "Poor Planning leads to Poor Pilot Performance". Using a checklist can help as an antidote to the "impulsivity" hazardous attitude and can improve performance when time is of the essence.

Preflight information checklist

Pilot(s)

Be aware of any "hazardous attitudes" and use antidote if necessary:

Antiauthority:  Don't tell me.            Follow the rules.  They are usually right.
Impulsivity:  Do something quickly.       Not so fast.  Think first. Use a checklist.
Invulnerability:  It won't happen to me.  It could happen to any of us, especially me.
Macho:  I can do it.                      Taking chances is foolish and unnecessary.
Resignation:  What's the use?             I'm not helpless.  I can make a difference.

Airports intended for use

Weather

ATC and route

Aircraft performance

Aircraft airworthiness

*Enumerated specifically in U.S. CFR Title 14[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Cockpit Conversation". Life. 1942-08-24. p. 65. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Title 14 CFR Part 91 Sec. 91.103 - Preflight Action". U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 2013-05-03.