B738 NG Gear down Flaps 15

[BraceBrace]

To those people reading the FCOM:

When the wording of the FCOM is
*Set the landing gear lever to DN
*Verify that the green landing gear indicator lights are illumated
*Set the flap lever to 15
*Set the engine start switches to continuous"

It does not stop you from doing this in one sequence. The check of landing gear indicator lights does not prohibit you from moving on and setting the flap lever to 15. There is no reason to delay the start switches either.

In the FCOM you will notice that from the moment the engines are started, Boeing asks you to verify lights every time they are not covered by the master caution system. When you start the engines, at some point you will select the packs on. Boeing does not ask you to verify the pack light when you select it, because it will be covered by master caution. When you look at the selection of takeoff flaps, Boeing will ask you to "verify that the LE FLAPS EXT green light is illuminated" in the same way. I've known companies that will ask pilots to wait for the green light before they can do the flight control check which is not necessary. The system is protected. You can continue, however at some point you as a pilot have to do the check to confirm.

Same philosophy with the selection of landing gear, and speedbrake arm on approach. Boeing explicitely asks you to verify the appropriate light as they are not covered by master caution. There is absolutely no need to wait for 3 greens before you can select the next flap position and select continuous ignition.