HTMPFFIC

I was taught this Pre Take off checklist by an old flying mentor who had been a commercial pilot, flying everything from Tiger Moths to large commercial jets. He used it on the 50+ types of aircraft he had flown in his career. 

H - Hatches and harnesses secure

T - Trim set for take off, Throttle friction set

M - Mixture full rich, Mags on Both

P - Propeller pitch full fine

F - Fuel, sufficient quantity and fuel tap and pump on

F - Flaps set for take off

I - Instruments, reading correctly, temperatures and pressures ‘in the green’

C - Controls, full and free movement and working correctly.

Photo by Neville Murphy

It’s easy to remember and work through. Every one of the items needs to be checked every time. Neglecting a single one could result in a failed takeoff or crash. Trying to remember them without the checklist results in a justified fear that you might have missed something. The checklist dramatically reduces mental workload in the cockpit before take off.

By contrast there’s an engine failure brief pilots give themself just before they start the takeoff. Engine failures are dynamic and require lots of judgement (Check out QF 32 or Miracle on the Hudson if you want insight into this). You can't build a checklist for that. The brief reminds you of the critical decisions needed if the engine stops and speeds your response in the unlikely event it happens.

Checklists create mental Capacity to deal with more dynamic events.

A Killer Checklist

I use and recommend checklists widely as a highly effective Capacity raising tool. A question I often get, especially from busy leaders who are implementing them for the first time is “How do I create a truly effective checklist?”. If you are making one for the first time, brain dump as many things as you can think of in appropriate detail. Then refine using these 4 elements.

1. Use it - The best checklists are the ones you use. A brilliant one left on the shelf is no use at all.

2. Storage - I store mine in a separate notebook in OneNote. Each has its own page. This means I can use it on any device and it updates to all of them.

3. Aide Memoire - the pre takeoff checklist I use is HTMPFFIC. It’s easier to remember that than the separate elements. (More on that checklist later). Is there a way you can make it more memorable?

4. Evolution - As you use it, notice how effective it is. Does it need evolving? Evolution could be simplified by grouping together or adding more detail. When I was instructing survival I simplified by adding “Survival Belt” to my list, rather than the 50+ individual items in the belt. When I pack for a presentation I separate Computer, Power Cables, and Adaptors because each is mission critical and they are stored in different places. I also evolve checklists by updating them on the spot if there are gaps or unnecessary steps. Over a few uses they become highly refined and effective.

The process seems slow when you are building a checklist, but they speed you up and reduce stress later. Well worth the investment.

I find the holidays a great time to practise. You can build checklists for relatively low consequence events and test them out. Planning/packing for holidays is a great one, because it's enjoyable.

To be Avoided

Imagine waking from surgery to find that the wrong leg had been amputated. That would leave you without a leg to stand on. An Austrian surgeon that made the error last May is in a similar position. The surgeon claimed human error which wasn’t well viewed by the court awarding damages.

Medicine, emergency response and aviation, are all fields who have widely adopted checklists as a way of reducing (preferably eliminating) errors like these. 

Checklists make a massive difference where there are one or more of these factors at play:

• High consequences for a mistake, like marking the wrong leg, forgetting the fire hose, or not closing the aircraft door.

• Reliable repeatability, like having everything you need in the operating theatre, on the fire truck, or in the cockpit.

• Mundane tasks, like double checking patient details, fire truck maintenance, and pre take off checks.

• Rapid response required, like a patient going into cardiac arrest, someone trapped in a burning building, or an engine failure over the Hudson River.

• Lengthy time intervals between occurrences, like any of the above professions doing annual compliance checks.

A checklist removes mental load from some activities, increasing the Capacity for responding to others. While the Austrian Surgeon’s claim that the ‘wrong leg’ was human error is probably true, the negligence comes from overlooking one or more critical checklists specifically designed to avoid such mistakes.

Where could you benefit from a good checklist?

Some examples might be:

• Reporting

• Recruitment

• Preparing to present

• Responding to complaints

• Customer service

• Making products

• Frontloading your week

• Holidays