expensicve mistake

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You are not done being PIC until you are walking away from the plane and all checklists are complete. Don't get excited to jump out of the plane until you have fully secured the aircraft. Don't be like me and forget to turn off the master when you leave the plane it might cost you a new battery and they are not cheep! All it takes is one time. I never thought this would happen to me after 12 years of flying and it almost stranded me 350miles away from home. lucky the shop on the field went out of there way and drove to get the battery my plane needed since they did not have it in stock. made it home ok but now im $600 poorer than before from being impatient!
 
One common trick is to never switch off the beacon. This way if you forgot to kill the master, you know it from the outside of the airplane.

Also, some airplanes (Mooney in particular) have loads that go around the master. In case of Mooney it's the dome light.
 
zaitcev said:
One common trick is to never switch off the beacon. This way if you forgot to kill the master, you know it from the outside of the airplane.

Also, some airplanes (Mooney in particular) have loads that go around the master. In case of Mooney it's the dome light.
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That's what I do.
 
Been there, done that. For me it was about $450 and a day wait. Luckily it was in my home town.

I was able to restore the old battery to use using jumper cables to convince the old battery that it was actually a battery, and a battery minder to desulfate it and get it back working.

How good is it? Who knows. It sits in the corner of my hangar. I already have a new one in the plane!

Jim
 
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zaitcev said:
One common trick is to never switch off the beacon. This way if you forgot to kill the master, you know it from the outside of the airplane.
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I started doing this after one too many trips back from my car out to the airplane to check, having to take the cover off etc. Never did find I'd left the master on though.

First time it's occurred to me, but I should have just nudged the stall horn vane (PA28) rather than taking the airplane cover off...

Now I really think about it, seems a shame that the stall warning runs through the master switch.
 
Luckily my airplane has a bright red LED flap display, my visual check before getting out of the plane and any time I leave my hangar includes making sure the display is off. The beacon idea is good as well.
 
Why in the name of Odin did you need a new battery? What's wrong with just charging up the one in place? If it held charge before being discharged it would do so again.
 
steingar said:
Why in the name of Odin did you need a new battery? What's wrong with just charging up the one in place? If it held charge before being discharged it would do so again.
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Indeed, seems a quick charge or jump start would have been a lot less expensive. Although, if the battery is sketchy to begin with, a single deep discharge might kill it for good. In that case you just lost the difference in the price you would have paid to replace it at your leisure at your home field.
 
steingar said:
Why in the name of Odin did you need a new battery? What's wrong with just charging up the one in place? If it held charge before being discharged it would do so again.
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Sometimes when you completely discharge an older battery they refuse to take a charge. Mine was like that (at first). The trick to recovering one that the charger will not recognize as a battery (and refuse to charge it) is to use something to FORCE a charge into it.

On car batteries I've used trickle chargers to slowly force a charge into the battery. Just enough to let a bigger charger recognize it as a battery.

On my 24V aircraft battery I ran jumper cables from my 24V electric forklift to the battery. This method seemed a little more risky so I wore eye protection, had water and baking soda handy, and stayed there for the 5 minutes or so they were connected. After 5 minutes I removed the jumper cables and hooked up my Battery Minder. It ran completely through the desulphation cycle twice over the space of a weekend. By the end of the weekend the charge said it was good to go and fully charged. I have not used it or load tested it, so I don't know if it is REALLY good. But the Battery Minder seems to think it is good to go.

Jim
 
The design of my aircraft almost insures that this never happens...the two battery switches turn on/off a LOT of stuff...

Leaving it on would be very obvious...

That said...with my last two aircraft...I did the same thing on BOTH of them...didn't kill the battery but it did make for a bad day...
 
I did it once on mine, somewhat extenuating circumstances. Charged the battery up and that was that. Had it happened at a remote field I would have probably tried hand propping it (had I been able to drum up a licensed pilot to operate the controls while I tried). Not too hard to swing over an O320.
 
Not sure what you're flying, but most rented planes are easy to hand prop, also don't forget between one or two cars you can jump a plane.

Being able to deal with this type of thing without help is something you should learn, could have been much more... inconvenient
 
ChitDisturber said:
Not sure what you're flying, but most rented planes are easy to hand prop, also don't forget between one or two cars you can jump a plane.
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Lots of rental agreements / clubs specifically prohibit hand-propping. But I agree you should learn the 'flat battery' options.
Kiddo's Driver said:
Gusty winds would drain your battery over time.
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Never occurred to me. I have a hard time believing that gusty airflow sufficient to lift the vane would happen often enough parked on the ramp that this is a real problem (not sure what the current draw of the horn is either), but I'm prepared to be wrong. In that case, they should run the stall warning around the master and through a squat switch. Much safer arrangement. :)
 
tiger said:
Lots of rental agreements / clubs specifically prohibit hand-propping. But I agree you should learn the 'flat battery' options.
Never occurred to me. I have a hard time believing that gusty airflow sufficient to lift the vane would happen often enough parked on the ramp that this is a real problem (not sure what the current draw of the horn is either), but I'm prepared to be wrong. In that case, they should run the stall warning around the master and through a squat switch. Much safer arrangement. :)
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So safe you couldn't test it on the ground
 
Skylane81E said:
So safe you couldn't test it on the ground
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Put the squat switch in the nosewheel, then have a friend or two sit on the stabilator during preflight.

For avoidance of doubt, the original suggestion was a joke. :)
 
steingar said:
Why in the name of Odin did you need a new battery? What's wrong with just charging up the one in place? If it held charge before being discharged it would do so again.
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Tried Jumping it with a power cart. tried taking it out and charging it. the Battery would get how but not hold a charge. thing is its only about year old battery. you think I can have it warrantied?
 
I leave the strobe switch on,just like the beacon. If you don't notice it someone else will usually get your attention. Also keep a trickle charger in the plane ,in case.
 
Thankfully between the mechanical gyros, avionics fans, and a huge glowing G600 screen, it would be hard to forget in my current plane. However I did manage to leave the master on in the Arrow I did my dual xc for my instrument rating in. It sat for 2 hours, but everything else was off so it was not discharged.
 
How about using a checklist? They work really really well....and are really really inexpensive. BUT, it takes DISCIPLINE....
 
Kelvin said:
The design of my aircraft almost insures that this never happens...the two battery switches turn on/off a LOT of stuff...

Leaving it on would be very obvious...

That said...with my last two aircraft...I did the same thing on BOTH of them...didn't kill the battery but it did make for a bad day...
Click to expand...

That's definitely a plus of your G1000 setup. By the time you shut the engine down you WANT to kill all the damn alarms and noises it's making. LOL!
 
bbchien said:
How about using a checklist? They work really really well....and are really really inexpensive. BUT, it takes DISCIPLINE....
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I would agree. However just my thought. I believe most pilots use the checklist before and during flight,and then forget about it during shutdown.
 
denverpilot said:
That's definitely a plus of your G1000 setup. By the time you shut the engine down you WANT to kill all the damn alarms and noises it's making. LOL!
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Nate, I am flying a Matrix now with the Avidyne dash...still the same thing though!!!
 
Unregistered said:
You are not done being PIC until you are walking away from the plane and all checklists are complete. Don't get excited to jump out of the plane until you have fully secured the aircraft. Don't be like me and forget to turn off the master when you leave the plane it might cost you a new battery and they are not cheep! All it takes is one time. I never thought this would happen to me after 12 years of flying and it almost stranded me 350miles away from home. lucky the shop on the field went out of there way and drove to get the battery my plane needed since they did not have it in stock. made it home ok but now im $600 poorer than before from being impatient!
Click to expand...

When my wife is with me, it's her job to make sure I turn off the master. Otherwise, I make needless trips to the airport to check.

When she is along, our postflight goes something like this:

Sue - "Master?"

Me - "Yes?"
 
Always address the aircraft, "Mags and Master, may I leave the aircraft?"
 
bbchien said:
Most of the CFIs at such schools have never themselves been instructed on hand propping.

So when the renter lands and leaves the master on and no service is available, we have a solo pilot, guy who has never been instructed on hand propping, who is going to try to hand prop. :yikes:

[/sarcasm]Really great idea. [/sarcasm off]
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Which is why I said...



ChitDisturber said:
Also if you know how to do it and it's not complicated, it's not a issue.
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Checklists are not the end all, if you fly enough (especially in the backcountry) you need to be able to deal with minor problems like these
 
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tiger said:
Lots of rental agreements / clubs specifically prohibit hand-propping. But I agree you should learn the 'flat battery' options.
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ChitDisturber said:
Also if you know how to do it and it's not complicated, it's not a issue.
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Most of the CFIs at such schools have never themselves been instructed on hand propping.

So when the renter lands and leaves the master on and no service is available, we have a solo pilot, guy who has never been instructed on hand propping, who is going to try to hand prop. :yikes:

[/sarcasm]Really great idea. [/sarcasm off]

So then if the guy escapes injury, he's got the throttle half open and the bird gets away from him, or he can't get around the Cherokee door to get back in, forgot to restrain the tail....and we read about it.

Agree the battery is expensive- but the hand prop gone bad is REALLY expensive. The operating room is even worse.

I like "checklist" better. But if the pilot doesn't have the discipline to do a post shutdown check, how do you think he'll do on the first time hand prop, alone at a distant airport.....prolly doesn't even have chocks and a rope....heck I've helped transient pilots out who forgot their FUEL strainer and I ask, "how did they get here....?"
 
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frfly172 said:
I leave the strobe switch on,just like the beacon. If you don't notice it someone else will usually get your attention. Also keep a trickle charger in the plane ,in case.
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I was just about to say, in my case, we removed the beacon.

Good tips. I hadn't really ever thought about it before. I've never left the master on, but I can see where it could happen.

I'm going to leave my strobe switch on permanently. :yes:
 
On my very first solo flight in my 172 the battery took a crap. My instructor jumped out, I refueled and nothing. The battery was completely dead. My airplane partner came over and hand proped the engine. I went on and did my solo flight. My instructor didn't know what to say LOL! He thought we were a bunch of crazy idiots :)
 
Had to prop start my airplane today and I didn't even leave the master on!!

Of course, there's no master because there's no battery. Which is why there's no starter. Which is why I had to prop start it.
 
bbchien said:
Most of the CFIs at such schools have never themselves been instructed on hand propping.

So when the renter lands and leaves the master on and no service is available, we have a solo pilot, guy who has never been instructed on hand propping, who is going to try to hand prop. :yikes:

[/sarcasm]Really great idea. [/sarcasm off]
Click to expand...


Which is why I said...



ChitDisturber said:
Also if you know how to do it and it's not complicated, it's not a issue.
Click to expand...

Checklists are not the end all, if you fly enough (especially in the backcountry) you need to be able to deal with minor problems like these
 
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