Which Is A More Complex Aircraft?

[Colonel]

[img width=500 height=281]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MADKeDVifh0/maxresdefault.jpg[/img]

or

[img width=500 height=281]http://www.airline-empires.com/uploads/ ... 724369.png[/img]

B-17 or C172?

The answer might surprise you.  TC says you need a longer checklist
for a 172 than a four-engine World War Two bomber.

[img width=378 height=500][/img]

It's pretty hard to understand why flight training in Canada sucks.

At my current airport, in addition to the usual infestation of Cessnas,
you can also rent Champs, Citabrias, Pitts, Extra, T-6 and L39.  None
of these aircraft will teach you anything useful about aviation, I am told,
but gosh, they're an awful lot of fun.  And no TC FTU OC.

I also see privately-flown T-34, T-28, P-51, BD-5J and a bunch of other
weird stuff that also don't teach you anything about flying, according to
the Canadian Kings of Aviationâ„¢.

[Colonel]

Can a 21st century pilot explain to me, what the purpose of a ridiculously long
checklist is?

I understand that one objective is to significantly reduce safety, by distracting the
pilot from flying the airplane, and keeps his head down in the circuit, when he should
be looking for other traffic.

All the motorcycle greats, spend a lot of time on the track while they are riding,
reading lengthy "how to ride a motorcycle" books.  I get that.  Look at Rossi - he
carries an assortment of books with him when he rides on the track, and likes to
read one chapter in every corner.

I understand that in the 21st century, there are many things more important than
safety.  It doesn't matter, in the 21st century, if you lose control of the aircraft (fatal
stall/spin) or have a mid-air collision because you are attempting to complete a
ridiculously long checklist in the pattern.  Safety is unimportant in the 21st century.

Is a checklist a tool of egalitarianism?  Is the true purpose of a checklist, to be a great
equalizer?  So that anyone - not just the competent, or knowledgeable, or skilled - can
fly any aircraft?

I have a great idea.  Why don't we put a bunch of inexperienced pilots with no knowledge
or skill into large aircraft - say Boeings?  They can live the dream, reading checklists wearing
white shirts and pretending to be pilots, until something goes wrong, and they have NOTHING
to fall back on.

That would be very egalitarian.  Lots of virtue to signal.  Fuck safety.

[Slick Goodlin]

Yes.