A Good Checklist Happens By Design

Over the last few weeks, we've been wangling our way through the intricacies of the Garmin GNS 430, the Avidyne Entegra and our new (and already much beloved) Cirrus G3 Turbo... it's a lot to comprehend and even harder to digest all at once. Incredibly capable devices all, trying to learn and maintain proper knowledge of each, often on short notice, means having good reference material at the ready. One of the truly inspired aids that has come our way are the Qref checklists that we have for each of these amazing products... and while each unit has been engineered to be as easy to use as is possible, overall, the complexities inherent in their immense capabilities means that there is a lot to absorb. The Qref checklists we've been using have, therefore, been godsends. No kidding... its the best stuff we've seen so far for GA's most capable products, and they are exquisitely designed, manufactured, and presented.

Apparently; we're not the only ones that think so highly of Qref, as they have just been accepted as FAA/Industry Training Standard (FITS) supporting materials, which Qref explains that they were found to be 'more convenient, more accessible, and more relevant to today's pilots.' Qref checklists are reportedly the only checklists to achieve this FAA endorsement.

The FITS program is a partnership between the FAA, industry, and academia designed to help pilots of Technically Advanced Aircraft develop risk management skills and in-depth system knowledge needed to safely operate and maximize the utility of their aircraft. The FITS program uses a Scenario-Based Training (SBT) training system with highly structured scripts of real-world experiences, consistent with the concept of "train the way you fly, fly the way you train."

"FITS acceptance recognizes the rigorous and structured standards we have designed into our materials to ensure high quality and consistent, accurate information", says Jason Clemens, President and Publisher for Qref Quick Reference Media. "This highlights the difference in thinking that goes into our products."

Qref checklists are designed to be used in everyday flight, not just as a ground-based reference, and put relevant procedures and techniques at the pilot's fingertips. The Qref team of Master CFIs have decades of active flight instruction and flying experience at all levels of industry. They have taken advantage of the past 20 years of checklist design research. Qref's team incorporates industry-best practices into these checklists and forthcoming publications. The consistent quality and accuracy of Qref checklists has been proven by the FITS program acceptance.

Qref joins some great companies with this distinction, a lit that includes Garmin, Avidyne, Cessna and Cirrus, who have adopted FITS-based, FAA-accepted pilot training. John French of the ERAU human factors department conducted a study that compared several performance factors between FITS and non-FITS-trained pilots. His results indicate a consistently higher level of performance by those FITS-trained pilots.The FAA has recognized Qref checklists as maximizing effectiveness and ease of use while utilizing the principles of aviation human factors to support the FITS curriculum.

FMI: www.qref.com