Preflights optional I guess...

[James331]

Ten or fifteen minutes seems like much more time than is needed, but after a pancake breakfast I do walk around the plane checking for damage, free movement of flight control surfaces, wheel pants on straight, no chocks under wheels.

I do not sump the fuel again unless I was refueled -- should I?

Same here.

I don't check the lights, sump, etc for a shutdown.

Preflights used to be called daily flight checks.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

How many of you check the oil after a 10-30 min stop, (pee, water, drop off etc)? If you do, what do you do if it reads at or near the minimum oil level? Do you add oil or wait to see if more is draining into the sump?

I check the oil. Seems to me that the oil used would be more a function of how long I was flying, not how long I was parked.

My sister relied on the line guy to fill the airplane (fuel) on a quick turn around. Turns out he didn't. She even got featured in a local paper.

 

[James331]

I check the oil. Seems to me that the oil used would be more a function of how long I was flying, not how long I was parked.

My sister relied on the line guy to fill the airplane on a quick turn around. Turns out he didn't. She even got featured in a local paper.

Relied on a ramp worker to SERVICE THE OIL?! Well that's not very smart.
....now what did she learn....

 

[James Darren]

How many of those people did a run up? I was at a recent fly in and I too was the only one to do a pre flight and even a run up. I don't know, I'm doing a run up any time after the engine gets turned off..Just me.

That's a good question, how many of you do a run-up after a short break/hamburger run?

 

[jordane93]

That's a good question, how many of you do a run-up after a short break/hamburger run?

Anytime the engine shuts down I do a run up.

 

[96gs917]

That's a good question, how many of you do a run-up after a short break/hamburger run?

I am still a student but have been flying regularly for about 8 months. Thanks to my CFI, I will do a complete pre-flight of the plane including sumping the tanks. Its a habit now, and I just would feel right climbing in without looking at everything in the same order. In addition, if I shut down the engine, I will always do a run-up, even if its just to run into the FBO for a quick bathroom break. I have gone on many $100 scrambled egg runs and always go through my routine. For me, the peace of mind is worth the extra 10 minutes.

 

[Shawn]

Anytime the engine shuts down I do a run up.

Ditto.

 

[Non Compos Mentis]

Anytime the engine shuts down I do a run up.

I do too, but the POH for my airplane, when explaining the runup procedure, says it is to be done before the first flight of the day.

....interesting.

 

[denverpilot]

I tend toward longish preflights.

(May have abbreviated a few with Jesse when it was -10F. And back to back flights. But not by much.)

But I was happy that I always do a run up, the day the plug wire fell completely off one of the cylinders in North Platte, NE.

Engine started normally, seemed totally normal (yeah, if we had a monitor that cylinder would have looked a little funny on the temps), but as soon as I went to the left mag, instant tooth rattling.

Taxied back, left the plane in Nebraska, and caught a rental car home, then drove to OSH the next day. Picked up the plane on the way home.

It isn't worth the possible problems not to do a full preflight. It's a great way to turn fun flying into not fun anymore.

Never be in a hurry to die. Especially when you're supposedly having fun.

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

.....this is your fault 6PC.....

 

[woodchucker]

One advantage of a low wing.

Funny thing is that guy with the gas streaming out of the top of his wing? Low wing v-tail. I actually don't know if he had forgotten the fuel cap, or something else happened, but there was a metric-butt-ton of fuel streaming out of there.

And yeah, he made it. I don't know where he came from, but he was about 10 miles from the airport when he passed under us. SLC set him down on the little used runway 32. He seemed a bit miffed that they insisted on sending an emergency vehicle out to greet him.

 

[WoooPigSooie]

Every time I approach the aircraft I try to do so as if it's the first time of the day. Especially if I just went for a $100 burger and thru a t/o and landing cycle.

What's the rush?

 

[FastEddieB]

Every time I approach the aircraft I try to do so as if it's the first time of the day. Especially if I just went for a $100 burger and thru a t/o and landing cycle.

What's the rush?

Good point.

I think we should look at it through the lens of "the law of large numbers".

What I mean is, the chances that skipping a preflight after a short stop, or not doing a runup every time, will lead to a problem on any given flight is very, very small. Almost vanishingly small.

In fact, many of us could never do a preflight again, and totally skip run ups entirely, and finish our flying careers without coming to grief.

But...

Given the huge number of flight conducted every year, a finite number each year will end in crashes, and a finite number of those will have been preventable by a thorough preflight and/or runup.

Just put me in the group that will take a few extra minutes to move me out of at least that column of contributing causes.

 

[Dr. O]

Basically do whatever it takes to make you happy .
For Me:
1. First flight of the day is a pretty good inspection
2. Refuel - is done in MY presence, all the time, every time and I pull the caps and put them back on
3. If I land and leave the plane out of my sight to go to lunch, or whatever, a basic walk around, check oil, check the gas caps, kick the tires, wiggle those hinged thingies, and go
4. If I make a fast stop, hit the head, just drop a passenger, whatever, it is just kick the tires and light the fire

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Relied on a ramp worker to SERVICE THE OIL?! Well that's not very smart.
....now what did she learn....

Fuel.

 

[Aaronk25]

If the airplane leaves my sight tanks get sumped. Period.

Also a run up allows the cylinders to get warmed up closer to operating temp. Which isn't required but it certainly promotes long life.

 

[Buggsy2]

Many (most?) of the things I look for on a pre-flight are most likely to show-up during use.

You just gave me a thought. Maybe it would help to think of a "pre-flight" inspection as a "post-flight" inspection for stuff that happened during operation, when bad things are more likely to occur. However, we do this post-flight look before flight so call it that.

Thinking this way, it makes a lot of sense to do an inspection after any landing and before takeoff. The length of time between landing and takeoff is somewhat irrelevant. Not entirely, because carried to an extreme one might land at every airport enroute to inspect for problems.

 

[VictorValencia]

One point I'd like to make is that things can happen to the aircraft
while in flight such as excessive oil burn Performing a pre-flight
even after a short stop is good practice to make sure something
did not break on the trip over. Oil does not have to be pooling
up on the ground below the cowling for the oil level to be too
low to take off.

V.

 

[jsstevens]

My primary instructor told me to NEVER mss a chance to check the oil and the fuel. I don't.

John

 

[Reedster]

I always do a run up after engine restart, no matter how short of a period. My theory on this is that the last time the engine ran was at a low power setting for landing. I want to be absolutley sure it will produce take off power when I need it.

As far as sumping without fueling, it depends on how wet the day is. If I flew through clouds, or if it was raining any point after fueling, I will sump. Any time water could possibly get introduced into the system, I sump.

I never thought about the possibility of someone touching the plane when it is out of my sight, but it is definitely something to consider.

 

[Jaybird180]

I have since heard that this story is pretty unlikely, ..... Mistakes happen.

There's a thread on fuel contamination with very good pictures.

But I was happy that I always do a run up, the day the plug wire fell completely off one of the cylinders in North Platte, NE.

Engine started normally, seemed totally normal (yeah, if we had a monitor that cylinder would have looked a little funny on the temps), but as soon as I went to the left mag, instant tooth rattling.

I once caused an impending engine failure to happen during run-up. I was told that it was a vacuum line that came loose. The engine quit during run-up and would not restart. If I didn't do the runup it definitely would have quit on climb out, which goes over residential.

 

[Jaybird180]

Here's that anecdote I promised.

One time during a preflight, I noticed a slight "catch" as I went to move the elevator through its full range. I first thought it was just the sidestick hitting against the headset I often leave next to it. But after moving the headset, it still "caught" just a little.

Look very closely and you may see why:



And here it is close up:

Now, I caught this after pulling the plane out from the hangar. Unless someone snuck into my hangar with a small screwdriver to play a prank on me, it must have been roughly the same on my last landing.

Though the screw is small and if forced the composite would probably yield to force, having the elevator suddenly "catch" even just a little as I was trying to flare could have been hugely distracting - if not worse.

This is one of the reasons, I've changed my procedure to do a control check before engine startup. Sometimes the engine vibration and noise masks control issues. I was with a friend who picked up his Mooney from annual and there was some chafing in the ailerons. He dismissed it. I used it as a learning experience.

 

[James331]

Fuel.

Ahh...

 

[denverpilot]

I once caused an impending engine failure to happen during run-up. I was told that it was a vacuum line that came loose. The engine quit during run-up and would not restart. If I didn't do the runup it definitely would have quit on climb out, which goes over residential.

That's officially a bad day if that happens.


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