Originally Posted by
Aussie Bob
If an up and coming private pilot can’t complete their checks without a checklist I am inclined not to pass them. What I say is this, the last pilot to fly this aircraft went home with the checklist. Are you going to embarrass yourself and grab the book of instructions and thumb through it, or are you going to have a go without it? Or are you going to abandon the flight?
I'll concede that I've not been involved in primary instruction for quite a while, but I think that if a US PPL candidate "had a go without it" on his PPL checkride, he wouldn't pass the ride. Certainly the FAA's Airman Certification Standards has "Complete the appropriate checklist." sprinkled liberally throughout. Could you pass a checkride without a checklist in Oz? I'm asking. I don't pretend to know what goes on over there, but I'm not left with the impression that CASA is more flexible and understanding than the FAA.
For the record, I don't use a printed checklist in my personal flying. I use a combination of flows and mnemonics. But I think I'd be doing a PPL a disservice training him that way. I believe that a single engine Cessna may be saffely flown without using a printed checklist, but I don't think that belief is shared by the people who will be issuing the certificate.