Aviation is full of acronyms and mnemonics. This one is particularly odd sounding and not particularly memorable, but it’s also one of the most important checklists to memorise.

When preparing to land, whilst downwind you should carry out the pre-landing checklist. Here’s what we need to check:

• Brakes – parking brakes should be off, and toes clear of the toe brakes
• Undercarriage – should be down (we’d have a big problem if it wasn’t in our fixed-gear Piper Warrior!)
• Mixture – should be rich
• Flaps – as required. Normally up in downwind.
• Fuel pump – on
• Fuel – on fullest tank, is the contents sufficient for a go-around?
• Instruments – is suction within limits, are engine t’s and p’s green? Is QFE/QNH set? Are the compass and DI aligned?
• Carb heat – turn on for at least 10 secs, turn off, check rpm drop within limits
• Hatches – closed and secured?
• Harnesses – on and tight?

Flying in the circuit and preparing to land is such a busy stage of flight that it is definitely not the time to be reading these from a written checklist. My instructor gave me a good tip for learning these. Write them on a post-it note, and stick it on the back of the sun visor in the car. When you’re nearly home, recall the checklist. When you get home, check against the list to make sure you didn’t miss any. This has been helpful for two reasons – helping to remember the content, but also the act of remembering to do the checks before getting home is similar to doing them before landing.

I feel pretty confident that I’ve memorised them now, but lets see how I get on in tomorrow’s lesson with the added pressure of flying at the same time!