Last updated 2003-08-16
Notice: © 2003, Chris R. Burger.
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Most of us tend to regard a preflight inspection as a necessary evil, or worse. Those pilots that do inspections often subscribe to the "kick the tyres and light the fires" policy.
Most of us get away with it routinely. Modern aircraft are remarkably reliable, and seldom break down. Some argue that a preflight inspection is not as necessary as it once was.
However, for many of us a preflight inspection could be regarded as far more than a necessary evil. I'm talking about the hire-and-fly crowd, those of us mere mortals who do not own an aircraft and do not fly for a living. We are dependent on renting something from the local flying school or club.
On the one hand, preflight inspections are more important to us because of the unknown state of serviceability in which the previous guy left the aircraft. On the other, though, it serves a far more important purpose, only because we are not always flying the same machine.
Owners and professional pilots generally fly a single aircraft, or at worst a small handful of machines. The rest of us often end up flying a bewildering array of aircraft, with little opportunity to get intimately familiar with them.
Although I do some part-time professional flying, I am in exactly the same boat as the hire-and-flyers. My logbook for the past year shows 22 types, with no more than 33 hours on any one type and less than an hour on some. The last 10 flights in my log are on eight separate aircraft of six different types!
While there were three flights on C172s, they were three different models with different equipment, different panel layouts and even different flap settings for takeoff. I was lucky--at least these 172s were all marked in knots. However, between the eight aircraft there were also some marked in MPH, and some in km/h.
This is where the preflight inspection comes in.
Personally, I use a thorough preflight inspection not only as a means of checking the serviceability of an aircraft of unknown pedigree and possible recent trauma, but also as a means of acquainting myself with the particular bird's own oddities.
Phase one is a cursory inspection of the outside, to make sure that there are no gross unserviceabilities. This phase merely involves walking around the aircraft with one's eyes open.
Phase two happens inside the cockpit. Work through the flight, systems and radio panels, identifying each switch, dial and knob. Check everything for serviceability, and set all the avionics. If anything is not clear, check the manual. Make a list of the most important speeds: Rotate, climb, glide, climb rate, climb angle, landing reference, minimum control and so on. Select some flap and turn on the fuel to facilitate the outside check. If there is any possibility of night or IFR flight, jump out and check the lights and heaters, before jumping back in to turn them off. Check the fuel gauge readings, so that you can verify their readings on the walkaround inspection.
Phase three is the normal walkaround. Systematically work around the aircraft, starting at the pilot's door and ending there. Part of the check is to verify that the actual fuel quantity corresponds with what the gauges show.
Once these three phases are complete, you are ready to go. You now know which optional extras are installed, where every switch is and at what speed things happen. You should be able to find any switch without hesitation.
Safe flight involves advance planning. A proper preflight inspection is not only part of checking serviceability, but also a valuable opportunity to make sure you know the aircraft inside out. If there ever is an emergency, you will be grateful you did!