Line Up Acronym
 

Anyone got a good acronym when lining up in a light aircraft?

Not really an acronym but works for me.

Lights, camera,action.

Lights= landing light on (if required)

Camera= transponder to alt (keeps an eye on you)

action= fuel pump on (if required)

Just came up with it myself and I know its a bit weak, but works for me. I also find a big black X on the back of my hand in marker pen reminds me to carry out all the checklists during the flight.

Cheers, I already use LCA as I cross onto the active runway. Interestingly enough the Action part for me is to look down the extended centre line for traffic (which shouldnt be there of course).

I'm more after an acronym as I'm lined up. At the mo I look at the wind sock and adjust my into wind aileron, check the engine instruments and verify the correct runway by looking at the compass and the DI for confirmation of runway heading. I'm just seeing what else others do.

I don't use an acronym for line up & go, just repeat the vital actions my instructor has always said like a mantra:

line-up:
* DI-compass check
* check compass is correct for runway
* windsock
go:
* throttle to max
* check full rev's
* final T's & P's
* ASI 'coming alive'

Lining up:
STRIP

• Strobes - Turn on
• Transponder - Switch to 'C'
• Radio - Make call before entering active (if appropriate)
• Instruments (Altimeter, Gyros and Engine)
• Pitot Heat (if appropriate)

OC619

Must admit I just do 'pitot heat, transponder, strobes', and two of those (not strobes) are on the pre-takeoff printed checklist I do anyway - it's just that instructors have rightly told me not to turn any of those three on before I am ready to enter the active and take off, to avoid the associated problems.

Tim

Basic and brief drill:-

RAPT:
Recog and Landing Lights On
Anti-collision Lights On
Pitot On
Transponder On

or ATPL:
Anti-collision
Transponer
Pitot
Lights (landing and recog)

Once lined up:-

CCC:
Crosswind (aileron)
Compass (runway heading)
Clock (start stopwatch)

Then the type specific t/o checks, etc.

SPLITT:

S trobes on
P itot Heat on
L anding Light(s) on
I nstrument checks (DI aligned and Ts & Ps etc)
T ransponder on
T ime

Errr,

You could always do what the flight manual says..?

I find it interesting that no one up to yet has mentioned anything about flaps. I normally just do a flow check and go through Mixture (Rich), Prop (Fine), Lights (As Req.), Flaps (Where I want them to double check I didnt miss them on pre take-off checks) and Fuel (On, correct tank and pump on if there is one)

C250

Oh, fer christ's sake...

Line up
Firewall it
Go

How bloody complicated do you people want to make this???? A checklist for taking the active? What next, a checklist for rotate, then a checklist for leveling off, followed by a checklist for...whatever...

If you're stopped on the active to do a checklist you're wasting everyones' time. If you don't have your stuff in one sock BEFORE you occupy the active runway, you need to rethink your departure process. You should cross the hold line ready to execute an immediate rolling departure. Anything else is pedantry and hogging the runway uneccessarily.

Pitts2112

ATPL
 

You can use ATPL in another way aswell, but just before you cross the hold short line

A - approach is clear
T - transponder - ALT
P - pitot heat above 0, not required
L - landing lights and strobes on

Who said anyone was stopped while carrying out these checks? And how many holds do you know where it is possible to enter the runway straight away without a taxi, albeit a short one before lining up, incedentally just enough time to check that everything is where it should be? Its hardly complicated is it?

I've never done any formal 'line-up' checks before. Like somebody said before me, I just add full power and go. Lights, transponder, pitot heat, flaps and DI/compass are set in my pre-takeoff checks with the exception of checking the DI with the compass which is set after start.

Thanks for the constructive input Pitts.

I personally think you are wrong as checking the correct runway is for the me the minimum of checks to do.

There have been fatal accidents at commercial level where the aircraft took off on the incorrect runway, if a check of the compass and/or DI had been performed the outcome may well have been less tragic.

Pitts,
You've been hanging around these parts long enough to know that the length of a PPRuNE thread is inversely proportional to the complexity of the subject :}

With the amount of traffic at many airfields now "runway occupancy" is an important factor.

In my opinion when you take the runway you line up and roll without delay unless there is some overriding safety reason not to do so.

What gets me are the ones that line up and then sit there on the runway doing their "Hail Marys" for 20 - 30 secs before rolling and then cause the next one on the approach to have to go around!

I am not totally against acronyms but what happened to "common sense" and airmanship?

I must be being taught wrong then, as everyone one of my instructors has taught me checks to do, both on the ground and in the air. I've even been made aware that I should call out my checks when doing them in the test as otherwise the examiner presumes you have not done them.

I asked a simple question to see if anyone had a quick acronym on the line up, but as I must be holding up all that traffic on final I will from now on go and then just hope I'm on the correct runway and that the plane will sort itself out with any cross wind as apparently I am wasting others time by looking at the wind sock.

It's intersting to see that what one considers "Good Airmanship" others consider "Bad Airmanship".

Camel Toe
"Over Macho Grande?"

I have always been told from the off that I should be thinking three or four steps ahead of the aircraft.

Therefore contemplating whether I am on the correct runway once I have already continued from the hold is asking for trouble.

Personnally I've already thought about wind, runway, checks etc before I even call for departure, including what I will do if I have an engine failure during or shortly after take off. I am then free to enjoy the flight without having to work my backside off when there really is no need to.

OS

Overshoot, do you not think it good airmanship to glance at t's and p's prior to setting take off power? After all, it would be better to spot an anomoly now, rather than at say 300ft agl.