Learning to fly, or thinking of learning? Post your questions, comments and experiences here

Moderator: AndyR

#1886780
I say “I flew it last and the landing wasn’t THAT bad” to excuse myself from checking the brakes are still attached and the spats aren’t broken.

I then say “let’s check no one has bumped into it” and walk around doing a visual check.

I then check the oil and have a general look at the engine, see if anything looks amiss, check the fuel situation is what I’m expecting and that’s it.

I too was taught that’s a “transit check”

Oddly, I was told “never get in an aircraft without checking the oil”,

My superstition is to always stand in front, and point at fuel caps and pitot and then double check the cowling clips.

Is it a superstition if it’s based on fact and makes a difference if you don’t do it?

Maybe I should say “my routine is …”
T6Harvard liked this
#1888827
This thread got me thinking. What if you fly the last flight of the day, put the aircraft into the hangar and it is the last aircraft to go in. Turn up the next day, first person to fly and first person to get an aircraft out of the hangar. What is significantly different with this compared to having a break of half an hour away from the aircraft. Anything could have happened overnight and anything could have happened during the half hour break.

That said, it is really more about good practice to check certain things before each flight so that it becomes second nature every time. I do a slow walk around, always clockwise starting from the P1 door and it is the same check regardless of when I last flew the aircraft (oil, prop, control surfaces, landing gear, brakes, wings, empannage and body etc.) The only extra checks I do before the aircraft's first flight of the day is engine cowling off to check for any leaks or other signs of problems with the engine. For me, removing the cowling is quite easy.
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By VRB_20kt
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1888889
Hangar rash? Rodent making home? Bees nest? Exhaust crack from cooling? Flat tyres?

There are plenty of things that are time-related rather than hours related.

Furthermore it’s good practice to have a daily deeper inspection.

Plus it’s probably in the POH.

(I think in my short flying life I have found one thing that would have led to a broken engine in flight, numerous missing screws and fasteners, plenty of broken bulbs, one potentially very expensive piece of hangar rash that was cheap to fix, at least two flat tyres, a couple of underinflated oleos and so on. Needless to say I’m a fan of the ‘A’ check. )
lobstaboy, T6Harvard liked this
#1889046
VRB_20kt wrote:Hangar rash? Rodent making home? Bees nest? Exhaust crack from cooling? Flat tyres?

There are plenty of things that are time-related rather than hours related.

Furthermore it’s good practice to have a daily deeper inspection.

Plus it’s probably in the POH.


I don't disagree but just wanted to make people think. If you are the last person to put an aircraft into the hanger, nobody else does anything in the hangar and then you are the first to get it out the next day, hangar rash should not be an issue unless you caused it. But while the aircraft is sat outside during a break, similar things could have happened (boys with sticks, passers-by walking into the aircraft etc.). Tyres go flat even in half an hour and tend to puncture during landings/take-offs. Screws go missing or loosen during flight. Bulbs fail during flight, but vary rarely when turned-off in a hangar. Exhausts also cool whenever the engine is turned off, even during descent with closed throttle.

So far have not had rats making a nest during flight or during breaks but they say you are never more than five meters from a rat so who knows :)

As I said, I like to do a thorough check even after a break just to make sure all really is still okay. Just do a slightly more thorough one first thing as per POH. Then again, if you are the second person to fly the aircraft on a given day, should you trust the person before to have been as thorough as yourself in the daily checks?
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By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1889147
FlyingBoot wrote:
As I said, I like to do a thorough check even after a break just to make sure all really is still okay. Just do a slightly more thorough one first thing as per POH. Then again, if you are the second person to fly the aircraft on a given day, should you trust the person before to have been as thorough as yourself in the daily checks?


No, I wouldn't trust the previous person :mrgreen:

How do I feel about the checks?
As someone else hinted, the checks are a little ritual. I enjoy doing them. There's the challenge of trying to find something wrong, but there's also the feeling of making a re-acquaintance with the aircraft, and a few minutes of quiet contemplation completely focussed on making sure she's OK.

It makes a nice prelude to the main event :D
Rob P, ascrampton73 and 1 others liked this
#1889203
@T6Havard, I actually like to do the checks. Makes me feel more comfortable.

I became quite thorough with them quite early on in my tuition after a minor in-flight failure. Went from basic turns to precautionary landings all in one lesson. Can still laugh about it now and at the time it seemed quite fun. I knew we were not going to crash so enjoyed a bit of troubleshooting and listening to the instructor calling a Pan Pan Pan.
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