Aircraft-Specific Templates Can Be Customized For Individual Aircraft

FltPlan has introduced what it says is the first free checklist program integrated with a pilot's flight planning account. The program makes completing the checklist easier ensuring that no step is accidentally missed. It also enables aviation operators to quickly transfer a checklist to other tail numbers, share it with other airmen, and print the checklist with a few simple commands.

"Creating the ideal aviation checklist program for iPads, androids, and iPhones has been the bane of web developers until now," said Ken Wilson, president of FltPlan.com, the internet-based source of flight planning tools with 135,000 active user accounts." "From what I've seen none have caught on. They don't flow well and they haven't been customizable. In addition, the manufacturers' checklists are almost impossible to use because they are very wordy."

The new FltPlan checklist program provides customers with a template checklist for a specific aircraft that can be customized for their specific needs either by adding new categories or eliminating specific pre-loaded ones. Users can look at the checklist on the screen and see each item being checked off in the list as the item or action is completed. "The beauty of the checklist is that it is integrated with all other FltPlan flight planning programs," Wilson said. "A push of a button enables a pilot to see an airport diagram. Another click and the pilot goes back to his checklist."

Wilson said that pilots across the industry want user friendly checklists. He pointed out that a checklist is always going to be based on the least common denominator. "The manufacturer puts everything into the checklist. All of a sudden this checklist becomes totally unwieldy especially when you put it into an app like others have done. We use all the checklist items from the manufacturer but pilots can customize them to fit their needs such as adding items specific to their flight department.

"A checklist is worthless unless it works for you. A bad checklist is more of a deterrent for safe flying than a good checklist. That is why pilots customize checklists because they are busy with a lot going on."

Wilson said he expects the checklist program to be successful because of its ease of use and what he calls its cross-pilot and cross-platform format in that it works on the web, iPad, Android and Blackberry.

FMI: www.fltplan.com