Originally Posted by 2StgTurbine

I always disagreed with the standard "Set us up for a 10-mile final and tap me on the shoulder" in the event of an emergency after takeoff. 99% of the time it is a time emergency and we should finish the checklist before we land. Unless we are on fire or the structural integrity of the aircraft is in doubt, we should finish the checklist before we land. I simply tell FOs, if it's a no-time emergency, land on the runway you feel most comfortable. And if it's a time emergency, we will climb to a safe altitude, run the QRH, talk to the company, talk to the cabin, and come up with a plan. I make sure I stress the time emergency plan since most people panic and turn a time emergency into a no-time emergency.

That "10 mile final" stragety bit my friend in the butt. He did exactly that with an engine failure. The captain wasn't done with the checklist and decided it was safer to land the airplane without the checklist finished than going around with one engine. After hearing how management responded to that, I always corrected the captains I was flying with that we should make every effort possible to finish the QRH and make danm sure it's an actual no-time emergency before we go off script.