Comment by peckrob | Hacker News Reader

Comment by peckrob | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

It always surprises me when I learn that more industries haven't adopted standardized approaches like this. Using a checklist when doing anything that may have the chance to seriously injure or kill, like for many things in medicine, just seems like a really good idea to me. Even if it takes a couple extra minutes to run.

I'm a pilot in my spare time; every single thing we do usually has a checklist associated with it. Preflight cockpit, external and cabin, pre-engine start, engine start, pre-taxi, engine runup, pre-takeoff, takeoff, after takeoff climb, cruise, descent, before landing, base and final, after landing, shutdown and park. Every phase of a flight has a checklist associated with it. Emergencies or unusual situations also have their own checklists. Hell, even walking into many FBOs, there are signs reminding you to turn off your master switches and close your flight plans.

In training, it is drilled into new pilots to always, always follow the checklist to the letter. Because when we don't, we stand a good chance of missing something. In extreme cases (just like in medicine), just one missed item on a checklist can get you killed [0].

I've found this obsession with checklists seeping into other areas of my life. I have a 15-item checklist for leaving the house when I go out of town, for instance. And in software development, I have a 10-15 item checklist I always go through before rolling code to master (this has saved me countless embarrassments on the low side and potentially bringing the site down on the high side).

TL;DR checklists are good, and more people should use them.

[0] http://www.rapp.org/archives/2015/12/normalization-of-devian...

If I didn't know better I'd think you were CGPGrey. You're right, though, checklists do make things so much better, as long as you're not tied to the list. I would imagine (please correct me if I'm wrong) that pilots' checklists are developed over time by veterans and changed infrequently. If you're developing your own checklists, be prepared to modify them. Often. This is still better than the alternative, because you are now aware of problems or steps you should have included.

Checklists are also good for helping you start things, if you have trouble getting started with stuff. It might be a little weird, but I keep a list of fun things I want to do. And I don't mean just big things ("visit London"), I mean smaller stuff. I find that after busy weeks my (old) brain is tired and doesn't want to start a new task, even if it's a fun task, so it tends to fall into patterns like "eat popcorn and watch Netflix." But if I have a list that reminds me that I could read up a bit about that microcontroller project I want to work on, or that topic I wanted to write something about, it helps me get started.

> I would imagine (please correct me if I'm wrong) that pilots' checklists are developed over time by veterans and changed infrequently.

Generally yes. For most general aviation aircraft, the checklists are part of the POH (Pilot's Operating Handbook, required to be with the airplane at all times). These are developed by the manufacturer during testing and are considered the standard and the minimum requirement for doing a check. They may be occasionally updated either by the manufacturer themselves or by Airworthiness Directives issued by the FAA (in the US). AD updates often mandate putting a placard on the instrument panel to remind pilots of some issue.

In addition, in the pilot community many veterans make extended lists with other "gotchas" to look out for or "shortcuts" to help you remember parts of the checklist (like "GUMPS" for landing - gas [fuel tank selected, pumps, etc], undercarriage (gear down), mixture set, prop set, seat belts and switches) or "Lights Camera Action" for takeoff (lights on, transponder set, radio set, GO!).

And if you're renting a plane, the owner may have additional instructions as well. So it ends up being a combination of all three.

> It might be a little weird, but I keep a list of fun things I want to do.

I DO THIS TOO! :)

Things is great for organizing this kind of thing. This way, if I ever find myself with some spare time rather than just veg or mindlessly watch TV, I can find something productive to do. Like wiring a new switch, or playing with the Raspberry Pi on my desk or something.

Related to GUMPS:

In driver's education, I learned DSMBV [doors (locked), seats (adjusted), mirrors (adjusted), belt (seatbelt, attached), ventilation (adjusted as needed)].

It's not needed in my own car, but it is still useful to me for rentals and borrowing other people's cars (or in driver's ed, where the driver changes between students), since it can be overwhelming figuring out where everything is and everything is out of adjustment for myself.

I quickly made my own version by adding one more letter to the list, by experience: DSMBVL... L for Lights!

Apparently, the acronym that more people actually use is DSSSM (aka cockpit drill), which includes steering but not ventilation or lights.

A fundamental difference between medicine and flight is motivation. When pilots screw up they die, when doctors screw up, someone else dies. Medicine idolizes heroes, a single doctor doing everything and saving the day. In air travel the heroes tend to die. The origin of the airline checklist is when Major Ployer P. Hill, one of the best test pilots in the Army, forgot to release the elevator lock on a B-17 prototype before takeoff and died as a result.

I don't disagree. Aviation generally has a safety conscious culture, which is easy for pilots because we're putting our lives on the line each time we get in the cockpit. I like not dying, so I'm going to do all things I can to avoid screwing up. :)

Ironically, failing to release the gust lock was exactly what killed the pilot and passengers in the article I linked. Although like most crashes that was just the final result of a long string of failures.

When pilots screw up often dozens or hundreds of people die. Even the worst surgeon can't kill more than one patient per mistake.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com