What is the normal Boeing 737 checklist flow?

The normal Boeing 737 checklist flow runs from cockpit safety and power-up through preflight preparation, before start, engine start, taxi, take-off, climb, descent, approach, landing, parking and securing. Crews complete each cockpit flow first, then use the relevant checklist to verify the critical configuration before moving to the next phase.

For our Aviation & Real-World Flying coverage, we use the 737 Next Generation as the representative layout. Exact switch positions, checklist wording and crew duties vary between the Classic, NG and MAX, and between operators. Real crews must use their approved manuals; simulator pilots should use documentation written for their particular aircraft.

What is the difference between a 737 flow and a checklist?

A flow is the ordered scan and configuration of the cockpit, while a checklist verifies that the safety-critical items resulting from that flow are correct. Most normal 737 checklists are therefore do-verify rather than instructions to operate every switch one at a time.

The pilot flying and pilot monitoring divide the procedures according to their operator's SOP. Once the flow is complete, the checklist is called, each challenge is read and the appropriate crew member confirms the actual indication or control position. Anyone unfamiliar with the panel can first use our guide to the main 737 controls and displays.

Not every procedure has its own named checklist. Cockpit preparation, pushback and after-landing actions contain several flows, but the standard checklist set is usually shorter: Preflight, Before Start, Before Taxi, Before Takeoff, After Takeoff, Descent, Approach, Landing, Shutdown and Secure.

Boeing 737 checklist sequence from preparation to shutdown

The complete normal sequence follows the aircraft from an unpowered or parked state to flight, arrival and final electrical shutdown. Crew members often work in parallel during preparation, so this is a logical sequence rather than a claim that every action happens strictly one after another.

1. Cockpit safety inspection: Check the aircraft's technical status and confirm that controls such as the landing-gear lever, flap lever, fuel control levers and electrical switches are in safe positions. Inspect the panels for abnormal indications before applying power.
2. Power-up and preliminary preflight: Connect external power or start the APU as appropriate, establish AC power and place the inertial reference system in its required alignment mode. Set lighting, test essential warning systems and confirm that the fire detection, oxygen and standby instruments are serviceable.
3. CDU and flight preparation: Enter or load the route, initialise the aircraft position and complete departure and performance data. Verify the runway, departure, route discontinuities, weights, reserves, centre of gravity, stabiliser trim, thrust setting and V-speeds rather than accepting imported values without checking them.
4. Flight-deck preflight: Complete the overhead, forward, centre pedestal and side-panel flows. Set radios, minimums, initial MCP altitude and heading, check flight instruments and configure the pressurisation system as fitted. The exterior inspection and cabin preparation normally take place alongside these tasks. Complete the Preflight checklist.
5. Before start: Confirm the final loadsheet or simulator weight, take-off performance, departure clearance and briefing. Close the doors, check the passenger signs, set fuel pumps and hydraulics as required, verify trim and place the pneumatic system in the correct start configuration. Switch on the anti-collision beacon before engine rotation and complete the Before Start checklist.
6. Pushback and engine start: Obtain clearance, release the parking brake when instructed and start the selected engine—commonly engine 2 first, although this is not universal. Select the starter to ground, confirm N2 rotation, introduce fuel at the specified point and monitor EGT, oil pressure and starter cut-out. Repeat for the other engine. Our switch-level 737 engine-start explanation covers this phase without duplicating it here.
7. After start and before taxi: Connect the engine generators and restore the packs, bleeds and isolation valve to their normal configuration. Set probe heat, anti-ice as required, hydraulic pumps, engine start switches and take-off flaps; then verify stabiliser trim and complete the flight-control check. Shut down the APU when it is no longer needed and complete the Before Taxi checklist.
8. Taxi and before take-off: Check brakes and steering as the aircraft begins moving, then verify the flight instruments during turns. Review the departure, confirm the cabin is secure and check flaps, trim, take-off speeds, MCP modes and transponder. Complete the Before Takeoff checklist; runway-entry items such as exterior lights are then set at the appropriate point.
9. Take-off: Align with the cleared runway, set take-off thrust and monitor engine indications, airspeed agreement and directional control. Follow the operator's standard calls, rotate at VR and select the landing gear up after confirming a positive climb.
10. After take-off and climb: Retract flaps on the correct speed schedule, set climb thrust and confirm the pressurisation and pneumatic systems. Once the aircraft is clean, complete the After Takeoff checklist. There may be climb and cruise flows, but many operators do not use a separate normal checklist for both phases.
11. Cruise: Monitor fuel balance, pressurisation, weather, engine indications and route progress. Obtain arrival information early enough to calculate landing performance rather than waiting until the descent has begun.
12. Descent preparation: Load and independently verify the arrival and approach, brief the runway and missed approach, calculate landing distance and set VREF plus the required wind additive. Set radio aids, minimums, autobrake and pressurisation data as fitted. Complete the Descent checklist; our full 737 descent and approach workflow explains the mode selections and stabilised-approach gates.
13. Approach: Cross-check altimeters, approach instruments, navigation source, minimums and MCP selections. Reduce speed and extend flaps in stages without exceeding their placard limits. Complete the Approach checklist at the point specified by the applicable SOP.
14. Landing configuration: Select the landing gear down, set the planned landing flap, arm the speedbrake and place the engine start switches as required. Verify the target speed and complete the Landing checklist. If the aircraft is not stabilised by the operator's published gate, execute a go-around rather than trying to rescue the approach below it.
15. After landing: Clear the runway before beginning non-essential switch changes. Lower the speedbrake lever, retract the flaps, reset trim as required and configure the transponder, weather radar, exterior lights, probe heat, anti-ice and engine start switches for taxi. Start the APU if it will supply electrical power at the stand.
16. Parking and shutdown: Set the parking brake or confirm the chocks, establish APU or ground electrical power and only then move both fuel control levers to cutoff. After the engines stop, switch off the beacon and configure fuel pumps, hydraulics, packs, bleeds, signs and lighting. Complete the Shutdown checklist.
17. Secure aircraft: When the aircraft is being left unattended, switch off the IRS, emergency lighting and remaining systems in the approved order. Remove electrical power last, then complete the Secure checklist and final inspection.

Which Boeing 737 checklist should simulator pilots use?

Use a checklist matched to the simulated 737 variant and its system depth. A simplified aircraft may omit working IRS, pneumatic or electrical controls, while a study-level model may reproduce nearly every normal procedure and reject an incorrect configuration.

Saved panel states also matter. A flight loaded with the engines running begins around the after-start phase, not at cockpit preparation. Conversely, selecting a cold-and-dark state requires the electrical and IRS steps that a shortened built-in checklist may skip.

What commonly goes wrong during the checklist flow?

The most frequent failures come from skipping a flow, using documentation for the wrong model or treating the checklist as a substitute for checking the cockpit.

• Blank navigation display or no FMC position: The IRS was not aligned, the present position was not entered or the aircraft moved during alignment. Park the aircraft, restore the correct power and alignment configuration, and allow the process to finish.
• Engine does not rotate during start: There is usually no pneumatic pressure because the APU bleed, isolation valve, packs or engine bleeds are misconfigured. Re-establish the documented start-air configuration before moving the fuel lever.
• Incomplete take-off data: Missing gross weight, centre of gravity, thrust or V-speeds can prevent correct FMC guidance. Recheck the performance pages and confirm that the runway and departure match the clearance.
• Take-off configuration warning: Stop and identify the cause. Common triggers include incorrect flaps, stabiliser trim, speedbrake or parking-brake configuration; never continue merely because the simulator still allows the aircraft to accelerate.
• Electrical blackout at the stand: The engines were shut down before the APU generator or ground power was connected. Establish and verify the replacement power source before moving the fuel control levers to cutoff.
• Lost place after an interruption: Return to a known point in the panel flow and repeat that section, then run the checklist. Guessing which switches were completed is less reliable than checking them again.