Life’s Emergency Procedures | Special Edition

A Pocket Checklist for Life

What does a fighter pilot reach for in a dire in-flight emergency? A small pocket checklist packed with critical information for handling fire, failure, or loss of control. Inside that checklist, thousands of pages of technical manuals are distilled into the most vital steps needed to avoid crashing and burning.

Using that same concept, Butch and Z have designed a Pocket Checklist for Life’s Emergencies—a guide for when the unexpected happens and you need the ultimate truth to navigate through.

 

WHY ZIP TIES?

Each morning, just before the scream of fighter jets and the explosive bang of catapult shots awaken the ocean for miles around an aircraft carrier, a quiet ritual unfolds on the flight deck. Pilots, maintainers, and crew gather shoulder to shoulder at the stern, making the thousand-foot walk toward the bow with their eyes glued to the deck. They’re searching for screws, nuts, bits of rubber—anything that could be sucked into an engine intake, slash a tire, or turn into shrapnel when a jet goes into full afterburner. Anything that doesn’t belong is called FOD (Foreign Object Debris) because it can cause Foreign Object Damage during flight operations.

Pocket checklists like this one were originally bound by metal rings—until a few popped open and were swallowed by intakes. After that, they were replaced with zip ties. Beyond preserving that practical design here, we’ve also done our best spiritual FOD walk, ensuring that nothing remains but the breath of life.

 

Meet the Authors

Capt. Barry “Butch” Wilmore, USN (Ret.)

Barry “Butch” Wilmore is a test pilot and astronaut who has flown the A-7, F-18, Space Shuttle, Russian Soyuz rocket, and Boeing Starliner. As a Naval Aviator, he logged 663 aircraft carrier landings and flew multiple combat missions across four deployments. After being selected as an astronaut, he piloted the Space Shuttle, later spent six months commanding the International Space Station, and has logged 2,850 Earth orbits and over 72 million miles in space.

In 2024, Butch flew the Boeing Starliner, making him the first American to pilot three different types of spacecraft. But beyond his aviation and spaceflight achievements, his greatest passion is sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which he does around the world and from his home in Houston, where he lives with his wife, Deanna, and their two daughters.

Col. Craig “Z” Ziemba, USAF (Ret.)

Craig “Z” Ziemba is an aviator, author, and Special Operations pilot who has flown in a remarkable five different combat aircraft: A-6, KC-135, RC-26, MC-12, and C-27J. His career began in the Navy, but after 9/11, he transitioned to the Air Force, where he flew missions targeting the world’s most wanted terrorists.

A skilled commander and strategist, Z has designed and led large-scale war games focused on emerging global threats. Today, he lives in Laurel, Mississippi, where he flies Gulfstream jets and works on behalf of pro-life, anti-human trafficking, and orphan care ministries. His latest books, 37 Near-Death Experiences and 27 Combat Truths for Life, offer wisdom forged in the fire of real-world missions.

Watch The Heirloom Podcast with Craig Ziema and the
The Heirloom Podcast interview with Butch in space!