tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post7114473798344349171..comments2023-01-03T23:26:10.827-08:00Comments on Light Sport Hangar Flyin': "Preflight? You don't need no steenking preflight!"Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09658949494466569701noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-53844926421277334082011-03-10T10:38:52.262-08:002011-03-10T10:38:52.262-08:00Thanks for your comments Thomas, much appreciated....Thanks for your comments Thomas, much appreciated. Sounds like you are saying in general that a practical vs. by-the-letter preflight is better than none at all, and that's my exact philosophy. My goal with this blog post was to champion the idea that there are too many distractions and <br />"Gotta-rush!" excuses these days for avoiding the formation of good, safe flying practices, and I sure don't want anybody making it even harder for us to perform basic safe-flying practices. I'm scatter-brained enough already.<br />And you're a better man than I: I try not to read FAA preflight articles, just makes my head spin. <br />I do believe proper preflights will occasionally catch things...and also that there are potentially catastrophic things we'll never catch...that's what annuals are meant to address.<br />In the latest EAA Sport Pilot, a reprised WWII study and a more recent, similar study of GA squawks and mechanical failures proved that the more frequently mandatory (vs. as-required) maintenance is scheduled...the greater the likelihood and actual incidence of mechanical failure. <br />Now that was reassuring -- NOT!<br />Syncs up nicely with the "if it ain't broke..." street philosophy.<br />PA-28 rear seat fires? Yikes, there's a nightmare.<br />I think I'll just stick with intuition...and the proverbial wing and a prayer. And good preflights.James Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-14368340776160481092011-03-09T05:55:49.758-08:002011-03-09T05:55:49.758-08:00James,
Looks like it might just be you and me.
He...James, <br />Looks like it might just be you and me.<br />Here's my beef: whenever I read "how to preflight" articles (especially by the FAA) they read more like a full-on annual inspection. This is simply impractical. <br />Also, the fact that many aircraft require removal of the cowl to inspect the engine (or anything more than the oil level) suggests that the designers did not intend for a quick-annual-inspection before each flight, and whatever the safety-nerds suggest, most people aren't going to unscrew the cowl every time.<br />On the other hand, there are some things that can be checked easily and quickly, so why wouldn't you? (control surface hinges, control linkages, puddled brake fluid...)<br />Then again, there are some things that lead to SUCH a bad experience that maybe you DO want to look at them every time; and that's particularly true when it's a rental aircraft. Fires are a particularly bad outcome, for example, but until recently I didn't know that PA-28s have a fire hazard under the back seat, nor did I know that on some aircraft the fuel lines may be held in place - or not - by nothing more than a hose clamp (seriously?!?).<br />A "reasonable" preflight is probably somewhere between "do a full tear-down - you never know" and "just kick the tires, it'll be fine". Mine has historically included a visual inspection of the exterior, control linkages and control surface hinges, and the wheels/brakes to the extent they're visible (all because they're easy to do so why wouldn't you?), plus prop condition, oil level and fuel inspection (all potential sources of catastrophic failures). It's unlikely I'll ever add "check for complete AD compliance," but maybe "check for loose fuel hose clamps" should get added in (a potential source of extremely catastrophic failure) even though it might mean unscrewing the cowl on every flight.<br />What else might I be missing where the probability x risk is high enough to justify the time/effort to inspect it? <br />- ThomasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-10716721404349228772011-03-08T08:19:50.304-08:002011-03-08T08:19:50.304-08:00Thomas, (you "devil's advocate" you)...Thomas, (you "devil's advocate" you), that's a thought worthy of pursuing. <br />I can remember a couple times I've found glitches that would have definitely presented problems during flight -- a loose fuel line (lost it's clamp) and a missing prop bolt, no lie! Still haven't figured that one out.<br />But I'd like to invite readers to contribute their own experiences and let's see whether your "advocacy" holds up.<br />Personally, in your hypothetical lifetime of flying, if I miss the one time that boring, routine preflight might have prevented, say, an aerial fire or tail flutter from a loose bolt or an aileron locking up...well, my lifetime of flying could end right there.<br />For me, that's the philosophy and practicality behind preflights: preventing that thing you might have caught on the ground from ruining your whole day from the air.<br />See, deep at heart, I'm a big chicken. Somebody said to me recently, "It's a machine. It's not 'if' it will fail, only 'when'".<br />My chicken heart wants to keep the <br />"when" part on the ground where I can deal with it.<br />Everybody, please weigh in on this subject. Thomas poses a good question: How necessary, really, is the common preflight?James Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-84861422848592415612011-03-08T04:33:24.227-08:002011-03-08T04:33:24.227-08:00Just to press the "devil's advocate"...Just to press the "devil's advocate" case here, is there any evidence that preflights actually work often enough to be worth the amount of time spent on them?<br />I've read about problems that "could have been" found on a "thorough" preflight, but realistic preflights are not amateur annual inspections (the preflight tips given in a recent FAA publication including checking AD compliance for rental aircraft, which as we all know is very practical and something everyone always does). <br />I'm sure that some problems are, indeed, found - but are we collectively spending tens, hundreds - or millions - of hours inspecting airplanes for each real problem found?<br />In a lifetime of flying, what are the chances that a routine preflight will actually prevent an emergency? <br />And, if preflights are helpful in identifying problems, what are the problems they help identify? (In other words, where should we focus our time?)<br />Does anyone know?<br />(Not that any of this means I plan to stop preflighting...)<br />- ThomasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-48771408539707803502011-03-07T18:14:55.460-08:002011-03-07T18:14:55.460-08:00In my experience, CFI's are not always glued t...In my experience, CFI's are not always glued to their students...especially during preflights.James Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02233962831761532576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3609505216449486082.post-13870320227902513772011-03-07T16:15:47.947-08:002011-03-07T16:15:47.947-08:00A young impressionable student pilot is going to h...A young impressionable student pilot is going to have a CFI.ザイツェヴhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17164033061112816744noreply@blogger.com