The Value of Using Real World Checklists in FSX
Another way for advanced flight simmers to enhance their FSX experience is to use and follow real world checklists. Real pilots use checklists to help organize and make sure all the steps needed to complete complex procedures are done and confirmed, so nothing is left to chance.
Checklists can have simple items that need confirming like making sure the Passenger and No Smoking signs are turned on... Or they can be more pressing like confirming all the cargo doors (even on passenger craft) are secured and there are no indicators stating otherwise. Checklists also help pilots allocate the heavier workload that occurs during the various phases of flight to other members of the crew like the Co-Pilot (First Officer).
Real world checklists follow certain government regulations along with basic operating procedures for a specific airplane. All commercial airlines regardless of size (large, small), or aircraft type (turboprop, turbojet) use checklists to standardize their daily operations and keep the work flow moving. These standards differ from airline to airline and you will probably not find two airline standards exactly alike.
Flight simmers who use checklists are obviously going to have to make some concessions if they opt for real world checklists (link below). I bring this up because a lot of real world checklists have items virtual pilots are just going to have to either skip, or ignore completely because they are sitting at home behind a desk and not in the flight deck of a multimillion dollar aircraft.
However, that does not diminish their usefulness at all. In fact, it is even *more* of a reason for FS pilots to use them as much as they can, wherever and whenever they can, in my opinion.
Checklists earn their weight in gold when you've been flying online, or by yourself for so long that you aren't even thinking about what you're doing any more. While this is obviously the level of experience you want to eventually get to... It also provides a lot of opportunities for mistakes to be made because you are going through the motions, but not really paying attention.
For example, one evening I was "piloting" a 747-400 into San Francisco International (KSFO) from a flight from Los Angeles International (KLAX). I had the speed set, autobrake set, flaps set, localizer armed, and landing gear down. As I turned on final I noticed I was descending (as expected), but down to my minimum safe altitude of 2800FT. I leveled off, and just stayed at this altitude as the airport kept getting closer... And closer... But I still wasn't making my expected descent?
If you have been reading closely, you probably figured out I forogt to select the "APP" (Approach Hold) button once the Localizer became active to follow the GS down. It is (big) mistakes like this that can't be made if you are following a checklist.
So, I hope you can see the value of checklists after reading my fairly embarrassing experience... Because at least, it demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt how checklists make sure we don't become complacent in the comfort of our virtual flight decks where nothing is really at stake.
Checklists not only enhance the realism of your flight simming, but they also serve a very real purpose and that is to make sure you are flying "by the numbers", so stupid mistakes like I made don't happen that often.
WHERE TO DOWNLOAD REAL WORLD CHECKLISTS
Freechecklists.net
This site also contains checklists for Microsoft Flight Simulator, both payware addons and the default planes. The checklists from FS2002 and FS2004 should also work in FSX and vice versa.
