Originally Posted by
Emmy
In real life*, you will find that checklists are divided into two types:
1) Those that are used step by step to accomplish a task.
2) Those that help ensure all tasks have been completed.
An example of #1 would be a checklist that guides you through your pre-flight walkaround. You read it -> You Do It
Emergency checklists tend to fall into the second category. You practice your procedures and try to commit them to rote memory because you may not have the luxury of time to "stop and read." A given situation may call for W, X, Y and Z in rapid fashion. Say, the flow for engine failure in a C172. But at 7500 to 9500 feet and an ok glide ratio, once you've fired all your memorized bullets and have configured for an off-field landing, you, oddly enough, actually have some time to pull out the checklist and make double sure you did absolutely everything you were supposed to do.
And of course, with experience, even Type 1 checklists can become more like Type 2. I don't need to "Read -> Do" to pre-flight a Cessna 172 anymore, but I will totally "Do, Do, Do -> Stop And Double Check" using the pre-flight checklist in the POH. I don't really need a checklist to fire up my Warthog, but I do have some memory aids at hand for certain systems that either don't get used every flight (Secure Comms) or that may be used in alternative ways.
(* Speaking as a 150-hour wonder GA pilot)
To Scaley's point about flying in the group, I've found that knowing there are live bodies in the other cockpits tends to color everything. AI wingmen don't care if you're dragging your feet getting cranked up but, IMO, it makes you raise your game (or at least it makes you WANT to raise your game) to the level of those you're flying with.