I’ve helped many of you with your checklists during checkouts or initial training, but I’d like to share some of the common items that I find missing in most checklists, and some ideas that might help in developing your own checklist.
    Your checklist needs to be in one of two formats.  Either standard, or challenge/response.  A standard checklist would be something like:  landing gear lever down verify 3 green.  A challenge/response would be:  landing gear – LEVER DOWN, CHECK 3 GREEN.   A challenge/response checklist is what the airlines use but can very easily be used by GA pilots as well.  This is very good if you are flying with someone and they want something to do, or if you fly with your spouse a lot where the person in the right seat can read the checklist.  They read the item in lower case, and your response is in capital letters.  So they would read “landing gear”.  Your response would be “LEVER DOWN, CHECK 3 GREEN”.   It works when you are alone or doing the checklist by yourself too.
     Your checklist needs to make sense to you, and done in a manner that is in a flow for you.  You may have been flying a Mooney or Bonanza for years before the Lancair and are just used to a certain order of doing things.  The importance in doing it this way is that you are more likely not to miss something, or even more likely to actually use the checklist.   
     During prestart, most checklists have you verify that the fuel is on the fuller tank and check quantity, but one important item is missing BEFORE you can check the tanks or quantity and that is “master switch – ON.  There is no reason to make sure the tank is on the fuller tank anyway, what it should say is “fuel selector – ON LEFT OR RIGHT”.  All you want to do is make sure it’s not in the OFF position.  While we are on the fuel item, I personally prefer to start and taxi on the left tank, then switch to the right for runup and takeoff.  This does two things. It verifies that fuel is coming from the left tank while you are getting to the runway, it verifies the right tank is working and gets you on the right tank for takeoff.  This is a personal thing, but in my opinion an important one.  When you take off and don’t give enough right rudder during climb out (very common), the fuel will be pushed to the left.  If your tanks are low it’s possible that the fuel will be pushed away from the fuel pickup and starve the engine, where if you are on the right tank, the fuel is being pushed towards the pickup.  Same goes for landing in case you have to go-around.  Just something to think about.
     One item that I find missing from almost all checklists is in the prestart checklist.  You should have:  passenger briefing – COMPLETE.  Do you think the airlines show you how to use the seatbelts, show you where the emergency exits are etc just because they want to?   No, it’s a requirement, and you have the same requirement in your airplane.  If you want to check it out, look up FAR 91.519.  You can substitute a laminated briefing card for your airplane too, or I’ve even seen guys with DVD players actually have the passengers view a passenger briefing video before flight.  This is a nice touch.  If you don't have easy access to FAR 91.519, I'd gladly post it. 
     Another item is Oxygen.  You need to check that you have enough oxygen and that it’s working BEFORE you start the engine.  Some checklists don’t even have this item when the aircraft is equipped and you are planning on using it.
     Just before you take the runway there is a saying that many of you have heard, but I’m finding many of you haven’t and that is “Lights, Camera, Action”.   After you have done your runup, call the tower and get cleared for takeoff, or announce a takeoff at an uncontrolled field, you say to yourself “Lights (turn on the lights you want on, either strobes if you didn’t have them on already, landing lights if you want to be seen etc), Camera (turn the transponder to ALT), and Action (whatever else you want it to mean such as boost pump on for an IO-550).
     For landing, you need to do at the minimum a GUMPS check.   I’ve had so many fixed gear guys laugh and tell me “ho, ho, yep the gear is down and welded….hardy har”, well it doesn’t have to mean they are down, it can mean that you check the brakes, or if you are using a RAM air system, it can mean “unfiltered air” to remind you to close the RAM air.  I’m sure you’ve all heard or use it but just in case there are some who don’t. 

G – gas – ON FULLEST TANK (or my preference ON RIGHT TANK)
U – undercarriage –  DOWN, 3 GREEN (or Unfiltered air, or check brakes or both)
M – mixture – AS REQUIRED (it’s not always full rich)
P – prop – HIGH RPM
S – seatbelts/shoulder harness – LATCHED, SECURE

I can give more examples if anyone is interested, but I just want to encourage you all to customize your own checklists.  Use the Lancair supplied POH as a starting point only, it was never meant to be a “catch all” list.  Read what others have done, and you will most likely find something that you like to add to yours.   If you would like me to review your checklist and give you feedback I would certainly do that.  

Ron Galbraith
HPAT instructor