Before Landing Checklist

James Albright (a former G450 driver)

Updated: 2013-10-23

This checklist is straight forward but it leaves out one critical step and a few other important steps as well. There are few things in this airplane that can kill you, but this is one of them. If you are highly trained Gulfstream pilot none of these will be problems because you've known about them since the GII and have habit patterns to keep you safe. If you aren't a highly trained Gulfstream pilot or are flying with a newbee, read on.

Everything here is from the references shown below, with a few comments in an alternate color.

 AFM Procedure

[G450 Aircraft Flight Manual §2-05-50]

  1. Gear . . . DOWN / 3 GREEN

    Repeat after me: "Three green, four in the air." This is critical. You don't want to move to the next step in the checklist until you've ensured all four WOWs are in the air mode.

  2. GND SPLR . . . ARMED

    The switch light should be illuminated. If you miss this step, your first indication will be a CAS message telling you the ground spoilers are unarmed, but this is easy to miss in the heat of battle. Your next clue will be that the aircraft will not plant itself once the main gear have touched down and the second step will be a sense that braking isn't as good as it usually is.

  3. Brakes / Hydraulics / Brake Accumulator . . . CHECKED / 3000 PSI

    Make sure you have the brakes page displayed someplace where both pilots can see it. If you have an Anti-skid Failure or a malfunction requiring Braking Using Emergency Brake, you will need this page in view. You should also take a quick look at the hydraulics synoptics to ensure you have 3000 psi and adequate quantity in both systems.

  4. NO SMOKE . . . ON

  5. FLAPS . . . SET FOR LANDING

  6. Airspeed . . . VREF + 5 KNOTS

    I don't wait for the actual speed, I just note the correct speed is bugged. The correct speed should be VREF plus half the steady state wind plus the full gust, but the additive must be at least 5 knots and no more than 20 knots.

  7. WARN INHIBIT . . . INHIBIT

    Some operators intentionally skip this step, reasoning they want to know if they are having any issues. I select INHIBIT because the book tells me too. But I am on the fence about the technique.

  8. Flight Controls Synoptic Page . . . SELECT

 References:

Gulfstream G450 Airplane Flight Manual, Revision 35, April 18, 2013