MEMpilot

Today at work I was bored and decided to conjure up a useful acronym for personal use and flight instruction in the future.

My primary instructor was mad about CGUMPS and as a result, I'm pretty mad about it too. For some reason, acronyms are always running through my mind as opposed to things like "remember your checklist" and various other things.

So...I decided to create an acronym that would be running through my mind at all times. Just like to know if anyone thinks its exhaustive, is lacking anything, or if they'd like to add something to it. Maybe someone has something already similar they use as well? At any rate, I think it would be fun to share acronyms as to make us all fly better.

So here it is, I wrote it out today on paper at work:

When one of the five significant portions of flight is encountered, (takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, landing), think of the acronym ACT

Aircraft Control: Maintain assigned headings, altitudes, holding courses

Communication: Announce positions, intentions, mandatory IFR reporting

Thorough use of Checklists/Approach Briefings: Utilize checklists, IFR briefings, CGUMPS when applicable to each portion of flight

Example of using ACT on descent:

Aircraft Control--->maintain heading, vertical speed, and altitude to assigned

Communication--->announce descent to altitude, any readbacks, IFR mandatory reports, any frequency switch

Thorough use of checklists/briefings--->go through descent checklist, brief approach, memorize missed approach procedure, identify nav aids

Using a word like "ACT" is a strong word that will be part of my run through on each portion of flight. I might even put it at the end of my checklists to be extremely redundant.

Anyone have any cool acronyms they've made up?

Ewfflyer

I don't have an acronym, but I have the "paranoid" check. The final 20ft or so I always glance one last time at the landing gear position lights. I didn't ever do it until about a year ago. Someone mentioned they did it, and ever since it just happens for me.

FlyerJosh

A good check. I have an unwritten SOP that at 500' before touchdown I verbalize "Gear down, cleared to land." Saved me once when we weren't yet cleared landing in Canada.

aerospacepilot

What FlyerJosh said, only I would add the runway which you are cleared to land on.

I was heading to Monterey the same way I had done many other times. I come from the northeast and usually get a right base entry for runway 28R. With no other traffic around, I was cleared about 10 miles out to land. The instructions were right base for runway 28L. I flew the pattern, and as I was about to turn final for the right runway (as I had done numerous other times), I seemed to remember something about the word left. I asked tower to confirm my runway, and they indeed said 28L. The five minute flight since I had gotten my landing clearence almost made me land on the wrong runway.

So now, I always say "Cleared to land, 28 right, gear down." I say gear down even if I am flying a fixed gear airplane! It is a good safety check.

Texandrvr

What we always taught was:

Aviate
Navigate
Communicate
Checklists

In that order. Also, if you ever find yourself not doing something, you're probably missing something.