The First Officer ("FO") Michelle will ask, "Captain. Do you want me to run through all of the checklists as required?"   You can respond with "Affirmative", "Yes please", "Negative", "No thanks.", etc. (see the Voice Commands section)   If you respond in the affirmative, the FO will run through all of the checklists... from Pre-Flight to Shut Down.

If You Do Not Execute the It's Your Plane Checklists
If you respond with "Negative", you can still use all of the features of It's Your Plane... e.g., "Turn the panel lights on", "Airspeed 250", "Set Com1 One to 123.5", etc.     (see commands)

Execute Individual Checklists
If you decline to have the FO execute all of the checklists, you can choose to execute any individual checklist as needed by simply saying, respectively:

"Pre-Flight checklist."
"Before Start Up checklist."
"Start Up checklist."
"Before Taxi checklist."
"Taxi checklist."
"Before Take Off checklist."
"Take Off checklist."     (performs both the Take Off and Climb Out checklists)
"Cruising checklist."     (above 10,000 feet)
"Descent checklist."     (as you are leaving the cruising flight level)
"Approach checklist."   (performs both the Approach and Landing checklists)

NOTE: (The FO will automatically ask you if you wish to perform the Approach and Landing checklists when you are approximately 20 miles from the destination airport, IF (and only IF) you have just completed the Descent checklist.)   If the Descent checklist was not performed, you can still execute the Approach and Landing checklists by say, "Approach checklist."

"Taxi-To-The-Gate checklist."
"Parking checklist."
"Shut Down checklist."

The FO, Michelle, began running down the checklist for the Boeing 737-400 aircraft. The FO asked the Captain to confirm that the Parking Brakes were on, the Battery Master Switch was on, and that the Panel Lights were set as required.   Since it was a daytime flight, the Captain left the Panel Lights off and simply said, "Checked."   The FO then asked the Captain to start the APU, and check that the Avionics were on, the Gear Lever was down and locked, the Flaps were up and trim, the Spoilers were fully retracted, that the Fuel-Flow valves were off, the Engine Instruments were functioning properly, the Anti-Ice switch was set as needed, the Aircraft Lighting was operating properly, and finally she asked the Captain to get the ATIS information for the local airport.

Once the Captain indicated that he had obtained the ATIS information and relayed the flight information to Flight Services, the FO asked for an Altimeter check, and then instructed the Captain to obtain IFR Clearance. Once obtained, the FO asked for confirmation that the Transponder Squawk Code was properly set, asked that the Navigation Lights be turned on, and after verification, the FO requested that the Captain turn on the No Smoking signs, by saying "No Smoking On", she then asked if the Captain wanted the Cabin Music on and then told the flight crew that they could begin passenger boarding.

The Pre-Flight Checklist was completed.

Listen to a typical Pre-Flight scenario... click HERE

Since the Captain had originally decided that the FO should automatically run down all of the checklists, once all of the passengers had been boarded, the Captain said, "Resume checklists."

NOTE: If the Captain had elected to execute each checklist individually, he would have said, "Before Start Up Checklist."

The FO continued by asking the Captain to turn on the Fasten Seat Belts signs. The Captain said, "Seat Belts On."   The FO then asked him to verify the Fuel Quantity, and after verifying that it was correct, he said, "Checked."

NOTE: To have the FO pop up the simulator's Fuel and Payload panel, say, "Verify fuel quantity."

The Before Start Up Checklist had been completed.

The Captain called for a push-back.

NOTE: You can request a Push Back at any time during this process by simply saying, "We're ready for a Push Back.", or "Pushback clearance obtained". You can then say, "Push the tail left.", or "Push the tail right."   At any time during the Start Up sequence, you can say, "Stop Push Back."

Listen to a typical Before Startup scenario... click HERE

Once again, since we chose a Boeing 737-400, the FO began the checklist by asking the Captain to turn on the Fuel Valves for both engines.

NOTE: This can be done by bringing up the Throttle Quadrant and flipping the Fuel Valves to their ON position manually, or you can say, "Number 1 fuel on.", followed by, "Number 2 fuel on."

NOTE: In the "real world", the ground control determines when, where and how the Push-Back sequence happens.

NOTE: Here again, you can push and hold down the Number 1 Start Engine ignition button on the aircraft's panel, or you can simply say, "Start Number 1."  

That concluded the Startup Checklist.

Listen to a typical Before Startup scenario... click HERE

With the engines fired-up, and the passengers ready to go, it was time to prepare for taxiing to the designated runway for takeoff.   The FO asked the Captain to confirm that the Flight Controls were operating properly, turn on the Taxi Lights and check the Standby Instruments.   The Captain asked the FO to set the Com1 Standby to the Departure frequency of 123.95, after which he said, "The Standby Instruments have been checked.".   The FO continued by asking the Captain to confirm that the Avionics were set for Departure, ensure that the Auto-Pilot was off, confirm that the AutoThrottle was off, and requested that he set the Airspeed... in this case 250 knots.   The FO continued by asking the Captain to turn on the Flight Director, set the Yaw Dampers, set the AutoBrakes to the Rejected Take Off ("RTO") position, and double check that the Elevator Trim set was indeed set for takeoff.   The FO then asked the Captain to obtain IFR Taxi Clearance.   Once obtained, she asked the Captain to set the Heading Indicator (which he set to the assigned runway heading).

During this procedure, the flight crew was explaining the safety features of the aircraft to the passengers.

The checklist ended.

Listen to a typical Before Taxi scenario... click HERE

They were now ready to get underway!   In this short checklist, the FO stated, "We are clear on the right.", then asked, "Are we clear on the left?"   The Captain looked left, then front left, then responded with, "All clear on the left".   The FO requested that the brakes be released and indicated that they were ready for taxiing.

The checklist was completed.

En route to the assigned runway, the cabin crew continued explaining the safety features to the passengers.   As they were nearing the assigned runway, the Captain called for the flaps to be set to their takeoff position of 15 degrees.   Once they reached the staging area of the assigned runway 26, the Captain asked the FO to change Com1 to the tower frequency.

Listen to a typical Taxi scenario... click HERE

After reaching the assigned runway and being queued for takeoff, the Captain said, "Resume checklists". The FO asked the Captain to ensure that the brakes were set, then asked him to affirm that the throttles were set to idle, and that the flaps were set for takeoff.   Once that was done, the FO confirmed that the spoilers were fully retracted, asked for verification that the flight and engine instruments were working properly, asked whether or not the crew had the V1, VR, V2 data in-hand, and asked for verification that the navigation equipment was in good working order.

The FO then asked the Captain to request takeoff clearance and after the clearance had been obtained, she asked him to set the pitot heater as needed, and instructed him to turn on the landing and strobe lights.

The checklist ended.

Listen to a typical Before Takeoff scenario... click HERE

Once cleared into position, the FO said, "Captain. Do you want me to perform the take off and climb out checklists, and assist you in the take off?" The Captain responded with "Yes please" and the FO turned off the Cabin Music (because it was on), then called for takeoff thrust.

Takeoff / Go Around...
In this scenario, the Captain elected to use the TO/GA procedure (the aircraft supports this function) by saying, "Takeoff / Go Around on"   The FO responded with, "AutoThrottle on"... "The Takeoff / Go Around switch is on". (The Captain could have controlled the thrust levers manually)

They're Rolling...
As they passed 80 knots, the FO said, "80 knots".

NOTE: After 80 knots, but before speed V1, a "Reject Takeoff" can be executed in the event of a system failure. (see Reject Takeoff [RTO] at the bottom of the page)

NOTE: If the Captain had not been using the TO/GA procedure, he would have gradually reduced the thrust so that the airspeed would have stayed in the range of 230-240 knots while maintaining a rate of climb of approximately 10 degrees nose up.   In the TO/GA process, the foregoing is effected automatically by the FO.

NOTES: By saying (e.g.), "Going to 123.95", automatically sends a "1" (like pressing the "1" key) to the ATC window to acknowledge the change in frequency, then changes the frequency in Com1 to the requested frequency.

In addition, by speaking the phrase [ Flight Number ], followed by the phrase "is with you.", (e.g., "1123 is with you."), automatically sends a "1" to the ATC window to execute the ATC Contact menu item command.

Naturally, during the Takeoff, the Captain was being contacted by Departure and was changing the aircraft's heading, etc.   The Takeoff period is hectic... both in real life and in a simulator. There's a lot going on!   However, once you familiarise yourself with the various voice commands, you will invariably realise that your trusty First Officer Michelle is a great assistant, and you will become more and more comfortable with each successive flight.

Passing Through 10,000 Feet
Once they passed through 10,000 feet, the FO asked if the Captain wanted her to increase the Airspeed to 300 knots. The Captain responded with "Yes please". The aircraft continued to climb until it passed through 13,000 feet, where the FO turned off the Seat Belts signs and announced the seatbelts procedure to the passengers.

The Takeoff checklist ended.

Listen to a typical Takeoff scenario... click HERE

Once the aircraft passed the Transition Level (18,000 feet), the FO automatically reset the Altimeter to 29.92 (or 1013 Millibars) then asked the Captain if he would like her to maintain an optimised Airspeed through the climb and descent.   The Captain answered, "Yes please".   The FO asked the Captain to change the Speed Display from Airspeed to Mach Speed.

Flight-Following Channel
At various times throughout the flight, the FO performed Flight-Following announcements to those passengers who were listening to that channel with their headsets.   Depending on the geographical areas that the aircraft was passing over, she announced items of interest to passengers on the left and/or right sides of the aircraft and also indicated the ground temperature at various places en route.

Listen to a typical Climb Out scenario... click HERE

Once the aircraft reached its Cruising Flight Level, the FO suggested that the Captain run down the short Cruise Checklist.   The Captain responded with "Cruise checklist", and the FO asked the Captain to check the Flight and Engine Instruments, verify the Fuel Quantity and confirm that the Radios were set. On longer flights, the FO would repeat the Cruise Checklist every 20 minutes (or so). After the short Cruise Checklist was completed, the FO turned on the Fasten Seat Belts sign as they encountered some rough air.

Listen to a typical Cruise scenario...click HERE

The Boeing 737-400 had been cruising at FL320.   ATC contacted the flight crew and instructed them to descend to FL210. The Captain acknowledged the instruction by saying, "Select One". Then he asked the FO to descend to FL210 by saying, "Descend and maintain flight level 210."   The FO echoed, "Descend and maintain flight level 210, Roger."   As the aircraft began to nose downwards at a rate greater than 1,000 feet per minute, the FO asked, "Captain, do you want me to go through the descent checklist?"   The Captain answered, "Affirmative."   The FO asked the Captain to verify that the Anti-Ice and Radio settings were correct, then told the Captain to prepare the ATIS and STAR data for Helena.   At this point, the Captain could have said, "Get the weather for KHLN".   Shortly thereafter, the FO made another Flight-Following announcement.

The Cockpit Voice Recorder audio faded out, then faded back in at a point 64 miles from Helena.

Since the FO was still controlling the airspeed, she automatically extended the spoilers to 25% and rapidly decreased the Mach speed as the aircraft experienced some Clear Air Turbulence (CAT).   About that time, ATC contacted the crew, indicated that the destination runway would be Runway 27 and began vectoring the aircraft towards the airport.   The Captain asked Michelle to load the ILS Approach frequency for runway 27.   She looked up the ILS frequency from the database, loaded the frequency into the Nav 1 radio and responded with, "Nav 1 set to the ILS Approach frequency of 110.1 for Runway 27 ... verify Course Setting." The Captain answered, "Make the course 270."   The FO set the course to 270 and confirmed the action.   The Captain then asked the FO to set the NAV/GPS switch to the NAV position.

ATC continued to vector the aircraft towards the airport and about 42 miles out, instructed the crew to descend to 11,000 feet.

As the aircraft descended below 20,000, the FO Michelle said, "Captain, don't forget to check the Altimeter setting once we drop below the Transition Level."   At about 19,500 feet, the FO stated, "Captain, I will let you take care of the airspeed until we begin our approach towards final. Please switch the display from Mach speed to Airspeed."

As the aircraft descended below 17,500 feet, the FO said, "Captain, I recommend setting the Airspeed to 250 knots."   The Captain responded by saying, "Airspeed 250."   The FO set the airspeed and confirmed with, "Roger - Airspeed 250."

As they dropped below 16,000, Salt Lake Center ATC contacted the crew and instructed them to switch to 119.5 and contact Helena Approach.   The Captain said, "Going to 119.5", the FO acknowledged ATC and loaded 119.5 into Com1.   The Captain said, "1123 is with you."   Helena Approach responded and indicated that the Altimeter was 29.78.   The Captain barked, "Altimeter 2978".   The FO set the Altimieter to 29.78 and responded with, "Altimeter 29.78, Roger"

As the aircraft descended below 14,000 feet, the FO said, "Captain, I recommend setting the Airspeed to 240 knots."   The Captain responded by saying, "Airspeed 240."   The FO set the airspeed and confirmed with, "Roger - Airspeed 240."

The aircraft continued down to 11,000 feet. (see Descent - Part Two below)

Listen to a typical Descent from Cruise Level down to 11,000 feet scenario... click HERE

World Travel 1123 was level at 11,000 feet when they were contacted by Helena ATC and instructed to switch to 113.400 to contact Salt Lake Center. Salt Lake ATC gave them the altimeter as 2979.   The Captain asked the FO to set the altimeter accordingly. ATC instructed them to turn right heading 150 towards base, and moments later they were told by ATC to turn further right to 175 degrees, constituting base approach. Then, ATC instructed them to turn right heading 235, descend and maintain 7,000 and contact Approach on 118.300.

As the aircraft dropped below 10,000 feet, the First Officer Michelle ran through the final procedures of the descent checklist. She turned on the Landing Lights and armed the Auto-Spoilers. She then asked the Captain to select the appropriate Auto-Brakes setting, verify that the Course setting was correct, check to ensure that the NAV/GPS was set to NAV and check the fuel quantity in preparation for Approach and Landing. She indicated that the Seat Belts and the No Smoking signs should be illuminated.

Listen to a typical Descent below 10,000 feet scenario... click HERE

After the conclusion of the descent checklist, with the aircraft descending to the approach altitude, the cabin crew made a "Prepare for landing" announcement to the passengers.   As the aircraft descended to the approach altitude (typically on downwind or base) and the Localiser was detected, the FO said, "The localiser's alive." Since the aircraft was performing an ILS approach, Michelle said, "The glideslope's alive" as the glideslope was detected. Once the aircraft began to intersect the ILS approach, the FO said, "Switching to ILS Approach mode">.

The Captain and FO had previously run through the Descent Checklist, therefore about 20 miles from the runway, the FO asked, "Captain, do you want me to go through the Approach and Landing checklists and assist you with the landing?". The Captain replied, "Yes please" and the FO responded with, "Roger. I will perform the Approach and Landing checklists as requested."

Incidentally, since the Approach and Landing checklists are so closely interwoven, it made sense to do them both as a single process.

When the aircraft intersected the localiser, the FO reported, "Locked on the localiser." The FO verified that the Avionics were operational, asked the Captain to confirm that the radios were properly set and to make sure that the NAV/GPS switch was properly set to NAV. The FO then reduced the airspeed to 200 knots. When the airspeed fell below 235 knots, the FO extended the flaps to 2 degrees, then 5 degrees. Once the airspeed dropped below 215 knots, the FO extended the flaps to 10 degrees and reduced the airspeed to 180 knots. As the airspeed dropped below 200 knots, the FO extended the flaps to 15 degrees.

As they approached the runway, the FO reported, "We've captured the glideslope." The aircraft began its descent down the glideslope and after a drop of a few hundred feet, the FO reduced the airspeed further to 170 knots... then 160 knots and extended the flaps to 25 degrees. At about 2,000 feet Above Ground Level (AGL), the FO lowered the landing gear. After receiving the "Cleared to land" from ATC, the FO reduced the airspeed to 150 knots and set the flaps to 30 degrees.   Then, about one minute out, the Captain instructed the flight crew to be seated.

Just below 1,000 feet AGL, the Captain called out, "Auto-Pilot off." The FO turned off the Auto-Pilot and confirmed the action. As the aircraft descended to 1,000 feet (AGL), the FO began to make call outs. "1,000", "500", "400", "300", "200", "Minimums", "100", "50", "40", "30", "20", "Retard" until the aircraft touched down.

In this example, during the descent, the aircraft momentarily dropped below the glideslope and the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) called out "Glideslope".

NOTE: The GPWS will also warn the crew of wind shear conditions.

As the aircraft touched down, the FO applied the reverse thrust, extended the spoilers and maintained the reverse thrust until the aircraft's speed dropped below 65-75 knots (depending upon headwinds). When the reverse thrust was removed, the FO released the autobrakes, retracted the flaps to their full up and trim position and turned on the cabin music. The Approach and Landing checklists ended.

Listen to a typical Downwind, Turning onto Base, Approach and Landing scenario... click HERE

As the aircraft turned off the runway the FO asked the Captain if he would like her to run through the Taxi to the Gate or Ramp checklist. The Captain listened to and responded to instructions to contact the ground on 121.9, and the FO repeated, "Going to 121.9". The Captain then affirmed that she should run down the checklist.

The FO turned off the strobe lights, turned on the taxi lights and turned off the landing lights. She informed the Captain that the flaps and spoilers were fully retracted and reset the transponder to 1200. She asked if the pitot heater was off and confirmed it. After asking to have the elevator trimmed to the takeoff position, she suggested that the Captain should turn off the taxi lights as they approached the gate, so as not to blind the ground crew! She then reminded the Captain that he could say "Resume Checklists" upon reaching the gate and she would then begin the Parking Checklist.

She reported, "Captain, the Taxi checklist has been completed."

The Captain was in communication with ground control and upon their instructions "World Travel 1123 taxi to the gate Golf-2", maneuvered the plane to the designated gate.

The purser was heard in the background instructing the passengers to remain in their seats with their seatbelts fastened until the Captain turned off the fasten seat belt sign.

Listen to a typical Taxi to the Gate scenario... click HERE

The Captain instructed the FO to turn off the taxi lights as they approached the gate, and once the aircraft came to a complete stop, said, "Resume checklists."

The FO confirmed that the taxi lights were off and asked the Captain to record and reset the stopwatch. The Captain and the FO continued through the checklist confirming that the parking brakes were on and the APU was started. The FO then asked the Captain to shut down the engines, called for the Fasten Seat Belts sign to be turned off, confirmed that the beacon light, anti-ice, yaw dampers and flight director were all turned off, and she instructed the flight attendants to prepare for cross check.

Michelle then said, "Captain, after the passengers have disembarked if you want to set the aircraft to cold and dark say 'Resume checklist' and I will run down the Shutdown checklist. Captain, the parking checklist has been completed."

The Purser was heard informing the passengers that the seat belt sign had been turned off, and on behalf of the Captain and the flight crew he welcomed them to their destination. Main cabin music was heard in the background as passengers began to gather their belonging and prepared to disembark.

Listen to a typical Parking scenario... click HERE

Since this was not a turn-around flight, after the last few passengers had disembarked, the Captain said, "Resume checklists."

The FO asked if he wished to run through the Shutdown checklist and when the Captain replied in the affirmative, she turned off the cabin music and called for the APU and avionics to be turned off. They then confirmed that the navigation and panel lights were off and that the battery master-switch was off.

The FO announced, "Captain, the Shutdown checklist has been completed."

Time for some R and R!

Listen to a typical Shutdown scenario... click HERE

The aircraft was rumbling down the runway and all was well.   Suddenly, something went VERY WRONG!   They had exceeded a speed of 80 knots, but were still below the V1 speed, so the Captain barked, "Abort Takeoff." (He could have said "Reject Takeoff)".  

NOTE: If the AutoBrakes switch was set to the RTO position, the brakes would have slammed on hard.   If the AutoBrakes switch was not set to RTO, then the FO would have stepped on the brakes as hard as humanly ( well, you know what I mean ) possible!

To listen to a typical Rejected Take Off ("RTO") scenario, click HERE