Aircraft pilots have been coming up with clever reminders and memory joggers for many years in order to make sure that they don’t forget something critical to the smooth runnings of the aircraft, and the safety of all those who are on board. CIGAR or CIGARS is a frequently used acronym by aviation pilots as a checklist, to make sure that they do not forget anything important before takeoff. It stands for the following:
C - Controls
I - Instruments
G - Gas
A - Airplane Secure
R - Run-Up
S - Safety
Though this particular acronym is not used by all pilots or taught in all flight school programs, the CIGAR checklist is still an extremely effective tool to ensure that all of the basic yet critical checks have been completed prior to the plan departing. Many pilots who fly commercially like to employ this checklist when a complete runup isn’t required, such as planning to immediately travel back for another takeoff after landing in the designated airport.