Thanks for all the input.
I raised the question because of a recent Sim session where my colleague, and the instructor, both agreed that method 'C' (the one I have always used) is incorrect because the PNF cross check is redundant and slows down the checklist completion.
My training had always been to use method 'C'. I was surprised that an instructor was advocating exactly the opposite, what italia458 highlighted as a nonsense. It is (to me also) a nonsense for the PNF to keep his eyes rooted to the checklist and plow on without an outward glance.
Frontlefthamster After that Sim ride I reviewed all the documentation I could find, looking for a clear answer. There is no mention of the PNF cross check anywhere, and I gave up looking, until I recently got a copy of the latest ALARS CD. It was there I found the relevant clarification. FSF recommend a cross check by the PNF.
However, your angle raises an interesting point. Is the AFM/FCOM the be-all and end-all of our procedures?
Perhaps it is, and if you strictly follow that doctrine you should (when acting as PNF) keep your nose glued to the checklist. Ignoring the recommendations of the likes of FSF.
Or - perhaps you can satisfy both by accepting that the FSF recomendation simply constitutes that which could be called 'good Airmanship', and do it anyhow!
Would that be a heresy?