How many are serious pilots?

[Vincent Meier]

I am asking this as at one point in my simming career I stopped doing my checklists and simply "hopped" in and took off. I know, a "lazy" pilot will probably not last long. On a recent R/W Cessna flight I took, reminded me of the importance of the checklists. So, from that day to present I have been persistent that I always do the cabin check/pre-start/engine startup/pre-taxi/run up/before takeoff/ hold short/ level off/ pre-landing/ post landing and shutdown checks. I have made up a flight plan form...suited to my needs to be prepared before I need to be asked the question. I fill out one of these every flight. The form is only for VFR for now as that is what i am most comfortable with.

So, I beg the question.
How many others do the checklists regularly while simming?

Vince

[Kevin_atc]

Justin Uybungco, who recently has been seen flying the Citation X on the network, goes through all of his checklists, callouts and flows.

[Steven Winslow]

I do. I try to be as true to real world procedure as possible. I still have a lot to learn.

[Keith Smith]

Having watched his Twitch.TV broadcasts, I'd say Jacob Eiting does everything he can to follow r/w procedure when he flies here.

I must confess, I don't replicate all of my r/w procedures when I fly here (or in the sim in general). I'm not using the sim to practice all the elements of the flight...I'm usually here to practice instrument procedures, navigation and aeronautical decision making. I always do the GUMPS check before landing, and my 'lights, camera, action' before takeoff, but other than that, I'm not thinking much about the flows that I run in the real cockpit...because I don't have that type of airplane available in the sim to begin with. That's ok, though...an approach is an approach, and using VORs is the same regardless of aircraft type.

[c.b.powell]

I follow my real-world checklists when flying in X-Plane. But I do this because I fly X-Plane / PilotEdge for exactly one reason: to keep my instrument skills sharp.

Furthermore, I rigorously follow my flight-prep task list before each PE flight. These tasks include checking RAIM, reading NOTAMs, evaluating weather, and checking winds aloft. I do these things not because they matter at all in the simulator, but because I learned early in life to "train as one plays, and play as one trained." It's a simple philosophy and it's held me in good stead. It means that when I sit down at the airport to prep for a real flight, I feel poised and unruffled -- a feeling of calm confidence is my friend. I perform my tasks without hesitation, without any of that feeling of "hmm, now what was that site with the TFR info...?" The mere act of practicing these mundane tasks in the sim pays dividends to my real world flying.

This is obviously overkill for most PE pilots. My use-case is a specific one, and I derive great pleasure from the precision and attention that IFR flying require of me.