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AuntPeggy

AuntPeggy

Final Approach
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Today, before starting up the engine, I remembered that I hadn't locked the baggage door. That happened because, as a memory aid, I throw the keys to the airplane into the baggage compartment as soon as I open it. So, when I went to start the engine and didn't have any keys, I knew the baggage door was still unlocked.

I'm wondering what other simple tips are out there to keep us from doing something silly?
 
Right before I get in the airplane to start the engine, I do a quick walk-around (15 seconds). Found an attached towbar once, and I could spot tiedowns that are still attached as well as other problems that way, too.

But I really like your procedure with the keys! Great idea.
 
Great idea!! Though I'd hate to load up a week's worth of vacation gear, get everyone in the airplane and then....

:rolleyes2:

Of course in the Chief I don't have that problem :wink2:

One thing I do when hand propping is wear nomex gloves -- I don't take them off until tail is untied and chocks are out.

Seems to keep me in the same sequence. :dunno:
 
dmccormack said:
One thing I do when hand propping is wear nomex gloves -- I don't take them off until tail is untied and chocks are out.
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D00d,
Gloves + moving machinery = REALLY bad idea.

If they snag on a burr on the prop that you didn't notice during preflight, you won't have time to bend over and kiss your ass goodby...

Lots of fingers, hands, arms and lives have been lost to gloves that have gotten caught in machinery.
 
One thing I do is not let myself get out of the plane till I've logged the time in the notebook I keep in the plane - keeps me from going "oh ****, how long was that flight w/ Mazie?" Folks might be standing there waiting to say something or whatever... I smile and nod and sit there and make notes in the notebook then get out and visit.
 
Jeanie said:
One thing I do is not let myself get out of the plane till I've logged the time in the notebook I keep in the plane - keeps me from going "oh ****, how long was that flight w/ Mazie?" Folks might be standing there waiting to say something or whatever... I smile and nod and sit there and make notes in the notebook then get out and visit.
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Good idea. That's one of the things I forget, too.
 
Jeanie said:
One thing I do is not let myself get out of the plane till I've logged the time in the notebook I keep in the plane - keeps me from going "oh ****, how long was that flight w/ Mazie?" Folks might be standing there waiting to say something or whatever... I smile and nod and sit there and make notes in the notebook then get out and visit.
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I do that too. And, I've never gone, "oh ****, how long was that flight w/ Mazie?" - so, it must work! :wink2:

This also helps on the next flight - if I've forgotten to check the tach before setting out, I can just look it up... I switch tanks based on tach time.
 
Jeanie said:
One thing I do is not let myself get out of the plane till I've logged the time in the notebook I keep in the plane - keeps me from going "oh ****, how long was that flight w/ Mazie?" Folks might be standing there waiting to say something or whatever... I smile and nod and sit there and make notes in the notebook then get out and visit.
Click to expand...

I don't worry about the hours so much. It's a ball park thing anwyay. Maybe I'm over .1 or .2 this flight, maybe I'm under .1 or .2 the next flight. Check the tach time for the oil change is all I really worry about time wise anymore.

I've started to put my towbar on the floor in the back seat. Before I crank the engine I check to make sure the towbar is there. It used to sit in the baggage area, which I can't check from the front seat anymore (hat rack.)
 
EdFred said:
I don't worry about the hours so much. It's a ball park thing anwyay. Maybe I'm over .1 or .2 this flight, maybe I'm under .1 or .2 the next flight. Check the tach time for the oil change is all I really worry about time wise anymore.
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Other than engine hours, the only hours I care about now are the ones my CFII logs, and only for completeness' sake since I have all the hours I need toward my IR and I don't plan on getting any more ratings after that. Solo hours, some I don't even bother logging any more. Fuel runs, for example.

I've started to put my towbar on the floor in the back seat. Before I crank the engine I check to make sure the towbar is there. It used to sit in the baggage area, which I can't check from the front seat anymore (hat rack.)
Click to expand...
I keep mine in the exact same place, but not because I'm afraid I've leave it attached. It's just you never know when it'll come in handy. And I've read of 177RG drivers who've yanked their gear into place with a towbar after a complete loss of hydraulic pressure. (Not sure if it's true or not though.)
 
A hand-held GPS does the same thing without the need for the notebook.

Jeanie said:
One thing I do is not let myself get out of the plane till I've logged the time in the notebook I keep in the plane - keeps me from going "oh ****, how long was that flight w/ Mazie?" Folks might be standing there waiting to say something or whatever... I smile and nod and sit there and make notes in the notebook then get out and visit.
Click to expand...
 
Just buy an airplane with a built-in towbar--on each side of the fuselage. Stowed or not doesn't really matter and it's always there when you need it.

EdFred said:
I don't worry about the hours so much. It's a ball park thing anwyay. Maybe I'm over .1 or .2 this flight, maybe I'm under .1 or .2 the next flight. Check the tach time for the oil change is all I really worry about time wise anymore.

I've started to put my towbar on the floor in the back seat. Before I crank the engine I check to make sure the towbar is there. It used to sit in the baggage area, which I can't check from the front seat anymore (hat rack.)
Click to expand...
 
Whenever changing a fuel tank in flight, keep your hand on the selector for at least 30 seconds after.

If the engine quits due to a dry your hand is already right there to switch back or to the proper tank. I had a friend switch a Super Cub to "OFF" and ended up in the bushes. All he had to do was switch back.
 
I always keep the keyring around one of my fingers when I'm doing the preflight. I don't know if that's a good idea, but it keeps me from losing them and guarantees they aren't in the ignition. If I had keys to a plane i was hand propping, I wouldn't keep them around my finger.

I also do a quick walk around right before getting in to make sure every thing's closed and to check that i didn't miss some big picture item during the preflight. I think that habit annoyed one of my instructors.
 
I have a collapsible tow bar with a keeper pin. I keep the keeper pin on my key ring. This way, if I'm using the tow bar then I know the keys aren't in the ignition and if I'm starting the engine then the tow bar's not on the nose.

As a aside: I never lock my baggage door. I might need to use it as an emergency egress one day.
 
wabower said:
Just buy an airplane with a built-in towbar--on each side of the fuselage. Stowed or not doesn't really matter and it's always there when you need it.
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The nose wheel still doesn't turn very well when pushing on a strut.
 
When ever I shut down the cherokee after I turn off the mags I hold my hand up and jingle the keys and put them on the glareshield up against the hand hold. That way.

1. Line folks who approach to chock know the mags are off.

2. I know I turned the mags off if I have to push back

3. I know where the hell the keys are when I pack up:D
 
azure said:
I keep mine in the exact same place, but not because I'm afraid I've leave it attached. It's just you never know when it'll come in handy. And I've read of 177RG drivers who've yanked their gear into place with a towbar after a complete loss of hydraulic pressure. (Not sure if it's true or not though.)
Click to expand...

While I have a carbide-tipped plexi shatter tool for this, I bet you could use the towbar to bust out a window if you needed to exit the aircraft after an incident.
 
TangoWhiskey said:
While I have a carbide-tipped plexi shatter tool for this, I bet you could use the towbar to bust out a window if you needed to exit the aircraft after an incident.
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I'll bet you could too! Especially in a Cardinal where the windows don't even open partway... or in water. Yep, good thought.
 
EdFred said:
The nose wheel still doesn't turn very well when pushing on a strut.
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What is this "nose wheel" of which you speak?

stagecoachco said:
I think Wayne might be refering to these:

http://www.basinc-aeromod.com/tailpull.htm
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Those are pretty handy. Saw them on a real nice 180/185 when I was in Iowa this summer.

My ride has a loop welded on the lower longeron - too low to be convenient with my old back. So I have a short chunk of rope with an eye splice on each end as an "extender" If I forget it, I'm sure it will just fall off before I get too far.

When I did my flight review, the instructor had a spiral bound notebook and would draw a quick (1 or 2 line) sketch of the airport(s) with the numbers for the runways, frequencies, and with the notes from the briefing. Quick one glance way to decide which to use and remember the numbers. Add hobbs time start / end and you have what you need for logging at your leisure. I started the same including notes on fuel added etc.
 
baggage door key and airplane key are on the same ring.
If the tow bar is out of the baggage compartment, the key is in the baggage door. This serves 2 purposes:
1. If I don't have the key when I go to start, double check where the towbar is.
2. If I am moving the prop (it always stops vertical) to attach the towbar, I know the key is dangling from the baggage door, not in the ignition.
 
Snagged from Dustin's thread and video:

USING the CAN AIR VENT on a Cessna as a headset holder (although in flight I'd take them down to improve visibility).


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Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
D00d,
Gloves + moving machinery = REALLY bad idea.

If they snag on a burr on the prop that you didn't notice during preflight, you won't have time to bend over and kiss your ass goodby...

Lots of fingers, hands, arms and lives have been lost to gloves that have gotten caught in machinery.
Click to expand...

Which is why I wear Nomex Army-issue tanker gloves with thin leather palms and fingers.

They won't get caught on a burr, and if some thread could happen to get caught (and that type burr would be BIG), the thread would tear.

I've been around lots of machinery for quite a few years (some of the equipment was designed to kill and maim). I usually remove my wedding band and watch when handling equipment. I wear gloves using a chain saw.

:dunno:
 
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Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
D00d,
Gloves + moving machinery = REALLY bad idea.

If they snag on a burr on the prop that you didn't notice during preflight, you won't have time to bend over and kiss your ass goodby...

Lots of fingers, hands, arms and lives have been lost to gloves that have gotten caught in machinery.
Click to expand...

Have you ever worked around heavy equipment? Have you ever worked in a sheet metal shop? I've done both.

Gloves are not bad ideas in many industrial (read machinery) environments.
 
Team ropers all wear them now. Plain cotton gardening gloves will save a thumb that gets wrapped in a dally.
 
Clark1961 said:
Have you ever worked around heavy equipment? Have you ever worked in a sheet metal shop? I've done both.

Gloves are not bad ideas in many industrial (read machinery) environments.
Click to expand...

I've worked in machine shop and industrial settings. And, I used to get the weekly accident summaries here at one of the larger auto companies. Top three catagories were pedestrian vs. moving vehicles, falls, and gloves caught in machine tools.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
I've worked in machine shop and industrial settings. And, I used to get the weekly accident summaries here at one of the larger auto companies. Top three catagories were pedestrian vs. moving vehicles, falls, and gloves caught in machine tools.
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Gotta say -- there some funny reading in those OSHA annual accident reports.
 
I've found that the older I get, the more I become a slave to routine. By doing things the same way each time I do them, be it flying or anything else, the less chance I will forget to do what needs to be done.

Becoming a creature of habit is something I have abhorred all my life, but now I find it comforting..........and safe.

John
 
One Short said:
I'd think the glove just saves the thumb from falling in the dirt! :idea:
:thumbsup: Thumbs up.
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I knew a guy who lost the tips of three fingers. He had his hands on the rope while his Dad was pulling logs with a tractor. The rope snapped taut and severed his fingers inside his gloves, but didn't damage the gloves. It kept the tips safe, but I guess the reattachment didn't work out.
 
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