Question: I am working on my multiengine commercial pilot certificate at a Part 61 school. The checklist for the airplane, a 1959 Beech Travel Air, was getting kind of ragged, so I created a new one copying the information out of the aircraft owner’s manual and the serial number specific Airplane Flight Manual [AFM]. The one I made has larger print and is laminated, organized just like the pages of the AFM, and has a section for basic maneuvers in addition to the rest of the required pages. My MEI [Multi-Engine Instructor] says I can’t use it because it isn’t an FAA-approved checklist, and if I try to use it on the check ride, the DPE will fail me. Is this accurate?
Answer: According to the FAA, Part 121 and 135 operators must submit cockpit checklists to the agency, and it must approve them as part of their operating manual.
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However, the agency says the “FAA does not approve general aviation pilot checklists. Rather, pilots must operate the aircraft in accordance with the operating limitations specified in the approved Airplane Flight Manual (AFM), Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM), markings, and placards.”
As far as the check ride goes, the FAA provides some guidance.
“In FAA practical tests for pilots, the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) or Practical Test Standards (PTS) require applicants to use an appropriate checklist. Applicants operating under Part 91 can use manufacturer-supplied or commercial off-the-shelf checklists, or personally developed checklists provided they accurately reflect the operating limitations and procedures in the aircraft’s AFM or RFM.”
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