Originally Posted by
flystraightin
Excuse my ignorance, but whats a flow? Im not too sure as Im still in the >20hr stage, but this has been a good read.
At work (Horizon), I hear the pilots all the time. I'm not sure which method it's called (like a call/response), but it goes something like this:
Capt.: "Gear" FO: "3 green"
Capt.: "Radios" FO: "set"
Capt.: "Beacon" FO: "set"
Capt.: "Check 2" FO: "2 clear"
Capt.: "Start 2" etc.
First off, a flow needs to be correctly designed. In doing a flow, you move through a series of checks without reference to the checklist. This allows you to do things quickly. ONCE the checks are complete, you call for the CHECK list so you can CHECK to see that everything has been completed. For example, when you get to the CHECK for altimeters and you had for some reason forgotten to set the correct altimeter, you would do it at that time and the CHECK list would serve as a barrier to error.
A well designed checklist is like a good Swiss army knife. It prepares the airplane and crew for the next phase of flight, it divides workload, serves as a barrier to error, etc.