CHECK LIST
Balloon pilots and their flight instructors are different from other pilots primarily because of their flying environment. The balloon pilot does not have a cockpit and a place to sit while launching or flying. During preparation for flight he is walking, bending, stooping and coordinating his crew far removed from the basket. The seemingly haphazard launch of a balloon is frequently caused by the lack of any checklist. Checklists have never been popular with balloonists. The FAA flight test requires checklists so student pilots must have some practice with their use.
Balloon pilots are really in the sane situation as other pilots- namely, a reminder is needed to ensure that some element has not been skipped 'i the excitement of the takeoff. This Flight Instructor Manual has incorporated four checklists into its flight-training syllabus. The checklists described below should be compared with the information in the Balloon Flight Manual of the aircraft to be flown. Items should be added or deleted as recommended by the manufacturer.
1. Student Flight Checklist
In the beginning, the student pilot needs a comprehensive checklist. It will help to organize the whole process of preparing, launching, flying and recovery of the balloon. By its nature, it is too long to be practical on the launch field. For the first few flights, it is very helpful to the student to develop the step-by-step process of putting it all together. The student will quickly realize the inconvenience of this awkward piece of paper as he/she will need two hands to assemble the balloon and especially if the instructor does not use one.
2. Oral Checklist
The second checklist to be given to the student pilot is one to be memorized with the aid of the acronym BE ALIVE This list is used first during the assembly of the balloon and again just before launch. The practical part of this checklist is that you can use it from memory and still be assured of not skipping a required item. The BE ALIVE checklist was created by Nikki Caplan about 1979, and has been used since.
3. Hot Inflation Checklist
The next checklist was developed because of the excitement caused by turning on the burner for the hot inflation. Balloon pilots often skip checking anything once they light the pilot lights. This checklist is used to make the pilot stop and think before starting the hot inflation.
To use the hot inflation checklist, the pilot positions himself behind the burner. Instead of lighting the pilot lights, the pilot extends his arms and places his hands on the envelope connections to the basket uprights and says, "STOP!" to himself. An inspection is done from behind the burner starting with the inside crown of the balloon and following the envelope to the basket connections.
Hot Inflation Checklist:
4. Landing Checklist
The final checklist, BFAVS, is used to prepare for an approach to land. Airplane pilots generally use GUMPS and glider pilots use USTALL for there landing checklists. A checklist for a balloon landing is as follows.
Summary
The flight instructor teaches by example. If the instructor always uses a checklist, the student will pick up the habit. Learning has been defined as a change in behavior as a result of experience. The student's experience of seeing the instructor always using checklists will reinforce the importance of their use. Failure of the instructor to use a checklist is a bad habit only to be repeated with the student.