What is the normal Airbus A320 checklist flow?
The normal Airbus A320 checklist flow in a flight simulator follows the same broad order as line operations: cockpit preparation, power-up, MCDU/FMS setup, before start, engine start, after start, taxi, before take-off, climb, cruise, descent, approach, landing, after landing, parking and shutdown. In simpler sims, some items are automated, but the sequence stays the same.
The normal A320 checklist flow, phase by phase
On the Airbus A320, the normal checklist sits on top of a cockpit flow. You set the aircraft up in a repeatable sweep, then use the checklist to confirm the important items, not to discover them one by one.
- Cockpit preparation Start with batteries, external power or APU, parking brake, fuel quantity, overhead scan, radios and initial FCU settings. If your add-on models ADIRS alignment, begin it early because it can delay the rest of the departure.
- MCDU/FMS setup Enter the route, departure, arrival, weights, fuel, initial altitude and take-off performance. If you want the Airbus-style order of the INIT, F-PLN and PERF pages, use our A320 MCDU/FMS setup guide for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
- Before start Confirm doors closed, beacon on, pushback ready if you use one, pumps and hydraulics configured as required, and take-off data cross-checked. This is the last clean point to catch a bad runway, wrong SID or missing speeds.
- Engine start Set the engine mode selector to
IGN/START, then start the engines in the order your aircraft or procedure expects, often engine 2 then engine 1. Watch for a normal N2 rise, fuel flow, EGT increase and stable idle; do not rush past a hung or failed start just because the sim lets you. - After start Return the engine mode selector to
NORM, set flaps for take-off, arm spoilers, set autobrake if used, check flight controls, set nose and taxi lights, and confirm no warning remains. Many missed-take-off problems in the sim come from forgetting this stage, not from the take-off roll itself. - Taxi Check brakes as the aircraft starts moving, confirm both displays make sense, and keep the taxi flow simple. There is rarely a long taxi checklist; you are mainly verifying that the aircraft is alive and responding.
- Before take-off Reconfirm runway, heading, altitude, transponder, anti-ice, cabin status if modelled, and run the
T.O CONFIGtest. The aircraft should be fully ready before you enter the runway, not while you are lining up. - Line-up This is usually a very short final scan: strobes on, landing lights as required, timer ready, thrust mode confirmed and flight directors checked. In many A320 procedures, this is a flow rather than a spoken checklist.
- After take-off and climb Once you have a positive rate, gear up, then retract flaps on schedule and clean the aircraft. The after take-off checklist is normally done when the aircraft is stable in the climb, not while you are still busy cleaning up.
- Cruise The normal A320 cruise phase has very little checklist work. You monitor fuel, systems, route and weather, and prepare the arrival early enough that the descent is not rushed.
- Descent and approach preparation Set up the arrival, approach, minima, QNH, autobrake, missed approach altitude and landing data. If the panel layout still feels muddled, our guide to the main A320 cockpit controls and displays helps you understand what you are checking in each phase.
- Landing checklist By the time you are established, you should only be confirming gear down, flaps set, spoilers armed and landing items complete. If you are still programming the MCDU here, the flow has already broken down.
- After landing Clear the runway, retract flaps, disarm spoilers, start the APU if needed, tidy the lights and switch off systems that should not run on the ground. This is where many simmers forget to reset the aircraft for taxi-in.
- Parking and shutdown Set the parking brake, shut the engines down, transfer to APU or external power, switch off fuel pumps and lights as appropriate, and secure the aircraft. If you want something printable, our short Airbus A320-200 checklist for FSX follows the full sequence from pre-start to shutdown.
Do you follow a flow first or read every line?
Use a flow first, then use the checklist to verify the critical items. That is closer to Airbus practice and far less clumsy in a simulator.
A mistake we see constantly is pausing after every checklist line and hunting for the next switch. That turns the checklist into a tutorial script. Learn the overhead-to-pedestal sweep, then use the written checklist as a trap for omissions.
What changes in simpler A320 simulators?
The order stays the same, but some aircraft automate whole chunks of it.
| Aircraft state or depth | How to adapt the checklist flow |
|---|---|
| Cold and dark, high-fidelity A320 | Run the full sequence from cockpit preparation, including power, alignment, MCDU setup and full after-start checks. |
| Ready for taxi | Start at the taxi or before take-off stage. Do not waste time redoing a startup the aircraft has already completed. |
| Runway start | Begin with the line-up or immediate take-off scan: controls, runway, lights, transponder and take-off configuration. |
| Simplified or default A320 | Expect items such as alignment, bleed setup or hydraulic configuration to be automatic or absent. Keep the phase order, but skip switches the model does not simulate. |
The other trap is thinking the ECAM replaces the normal checklist. It does not. In higher-fidelity aircraft, it supports the checklist and becomes essential for abnormal procedures; our guide to using the A320 ECAM in flight simulators explains where it fits.
Where do simmers usually go wrong?
The same weak points show up again and again, especially when people jump between simplified and study-level A320s.
- Starting too soon: engines started before the route, runway or take-off data are checked, which leads to rushed taxi programming.
- Forgetting alignment or navigation setup: if your aircraft models navigation initialisation, skipping it can leave you with bad map data or missing guidance.
- Leaving the engine mode selector in
IGN/START: easy to miss, and a classic sign the after-start flow was incomplete. - No take-off configuration check: the aircraft may still lift off, but you lose one of the best catches for wrong flaps, trim or spoiler setup.
- Doing approach setup too late: if you wait until base leg to set minima, QNH and landing data, the landing checklist becomes a scramble.
- Treating every add-on the same: some A320s simulate nearly everything, others hide or automate large parts of the overhead. Match the checklist to the aircraft you are flying.
If you want the shortest rule, the normal Airbus A320 checklist flow is front-loaded: do the thinking at the gate, confirm before the runway, and keep the airborne checklists brief and orderly.