I can understand the reason to check the mixture control in the required setting as part of the before landing drills in a Cessna 172. But why do flying schools also include Hatches and Masters and Mags as well? One grade 3 instructor informed me it was because these items started with "M" and for that reason may as well include them with M for Mixture. I thought he was kidding but he was serious
Strange logic to me. In any case if the Master switch was off when discovered on the Before landing check wouldn't that mean electrical items such as fuel gauges, radios and flaps wouldn't work and the pilot would have discovered that lot much earlier in the flight?
And if the M for Mags was off the engine would be dead? And if under "Hatches" a door was found to be already open wouldn't that have been felt and discovered a lot earlier in the flight?
One Cessna 172 flying school in the Melbourne area also adds "Cowl Flaps not applicable" to its before take off and landing checklist. And all flying schools add "Undercarriage down and locked" when the aircraft in a fixed gear type.. for consistency should not they say Undercarriage up and locked" as the after take off check?
I thought this sort of check would be covered in the Special Design Features course required for more advanced types. Seems to me many of these unnecessary drills are superfluous and even counter-productive by teaching students fictitious drills not applicable to the type they are currently flying. I don't see Boeing pilots learning Air Bus drills just in case one day they might fly an Airbus. So why teach this fallacious nonsense to student pilots?