Originally Posted by Xray678

to add on to that, if the captain can't notice that the flaps are not set before taking off......checklist or not, then he/she is an incompetent fool who should not be in a control seat at a major airline.

All the standard SOPA/SMAC procedures in the world will not cover up for a weak pilot. Bad pilots will make mistakes no matter how standard your procedures are.

Procedures should allow for some flexibility. If you need a bunch of overly rigid procedures to protect your ass, you are in the wrong business.