Originally Posted by
fireflybob
A simple but classic example on the Pooleys PA38 checklist Before Start is "Throttle.......Set half an inch" but this is only appropriate for a cold start - for a warm start our POH says Throttle Closed. So for me the checklist should say "Throttle.......Set" and the pilot should have had the training and knowledge to know how to set the Throttle appropriately.
Exactly, "how" much throttle to use is a procedure not a check. Similarly the SOP for my student is just before he/she engages the starter they look around and then verbalize " towbar out, clear prop". The checklist simply says "start engine".
As for the walkaround the best way is to use the aircraft as a giant flow check. So the SOP is to start at the same place on the aircraft and work your way around it in a logical and consistent pattern.
What to look for at each part of the aircraft is written down in the SOP document to aid new students first learning how to do a walk around. Having it written down also stops the "good idea" club from adding bizarre, stupid, or unnecessary steps.