A while ago i decided to take my fixed wing experience and have a dabble with helicopters. After a reasonably thorough ground brief about hair dryers etc, we went and strapped into a R22. No checklist, no real instruction, just a 'see if you can get it started'.
With a small amount of guidance it was a relatively easy task to get things going.
If we actually look at the checklists we provide to PPL students, in essence, we are telling them to check everything that moves or indicates something. Consequently, I am warming to the scan/flow technique for basic aircraft as long as the student understands what he is doing.
This is fine really. The objective in using these highly detailed checklists with new students isn't to have them using them constantly all through their flying careers.
It's to impress them with the items on the list and their locations and use as much as the actual check. These two aspects of instruction simply go together.
Checklists form the very basis for good flow pattern checks and pilots flying the same aircraft constantly will naturally eventually use a flow check coupled with any written checks required as normal procedure. Well trained pilots using the same aircraft constantly can tend to flow checks and backup mnemonic checks for critical items at prearranged times. These methods serve the single engine community quite well.
Large multi-engined crewed aircraft naturally trend toward the more formal written checks with verbal confirmation.
But the MAIN reason checklists are used is to create habit pattern in a new student.
Sending an applicant up to any examiner to take a flight test WITHOUT a checklist for the airplane being used for the test will usually result in an instant failure. There is good and well proven reason for this.
Dudley Henriques