What do you check when short turnaround flights?

[Tantalum]

Whatever your process, always at least check oil and fuel and freedom of (correct) movement in the yoke prior to take off. Gas evaporates quick and oil may have pooled somewhere inside the cowl, just because you don't see a puddle on the plane doesn't mean everything is nominal

I’ve never heard a convincing argument for not doing a preflight every time you have the opportunity to do so. It implies that things are less likely to have broken or come loose on a given leg if the turnaround is quick enough. Which just doesn’t make sense.

YES!

I never understood that line of logic. If that theory were true it would mean that as long as you always flew the quickly after it's last flight it would never have any maintenance, squawks, need oil, etc.

 

[Sinistar]

My weird quirks for the OP's hypothetical of several stops. Some of which will also be a fuel stop or a some time spent away from the plane (bathroom, lunch, etc).

Fuel first. Then oil. Then everything else. Stick tanks, sump tanks. Check oil level. Check oil fill cap. Then the full walk around starts. From what I am reading that will prevent a large number of incidents.

If PIC I am always the last one in the plane. Always. And before I get in I make myself walk around it one last time saving the prop until last. That might only take 30 seconds.

If its a shutdown to let out passengers I will still do the quick walk around and am the last one in. If I think I am anywhere under 40gals I will stick tanks. I don't sump in this case. But I will check the oil level. After I startup pretty much do the full run up since the AI might be off, the DG will probably be off, I may have arrived with a long taxi and started fouling plugs, etc.

If I leave the plane...as in it is out of sight I will do another full pre-flight (except sumping). My first CFI said to assume a newbie ramper will bump into it with the fuel truck or tug and be too freaked out to tell anyone.

If it has rained between leaving it and coming back I will sump the tanks.

If I get fuel I always stick before and after. Always sump after. I like to be there when the truck shows up to verify it at least indicates 100LL. If I gotta pee I go before fueling up otherwise I am too rushed. If I think the plane is even the slightest bit to close to the pumps after filling it up I will push it back and point it away from everything. I also do that when I startup.

 

[James331]

Just as an example. Say a situation where you are taking your extended family to a resort.
You have a four seater, and eight people to get up there. Of course you take up a seat too, so this means minimum three round trips. Say a two hour flight each way.

So you fly three passengers to the place, stop the engine, let them out and hand them their baggage, and now will start up again, for the return leg, and to pick up four more.

I know there are some that don’t use checklists, but whether you do or don’t, General checks anyway, would you do a preflight inspection again? Runup?

Or another way to ask, are there checks you would not repeat, since you are still flying from your initial checks? Either way, what is the thinking behind what you decide?

I walk around the plane once, literally just walk around it, mostly looking for cones or someone bumping it, and go.

The full preflight used to be called a daily flight check (or something like that)

 

[Skip Miller]

I would do a stand back look over just to make sure nothing obvious has happened in the short time it was sitting there.

Always, always do a walk around to make sure some other plane or rampie vehicle hasn't managed to bump your plane and cause some damage. -Skip

 

[danhagan]

You only get 2200 RPM at full power?

A lot of AC won't get near 2500 until they're rolling down the runway (versus standing still) . Why anyone would want a full RPM run-up, rather than max 1700 for mag check et al must rent ... I wouldn't want my prop and nose gear getting blasted with small projectiles like that ...rough on brakes, but I do rolling prop/mag/carb heat checks and don't have any nicks on the prop or nose gear ... brake pads are $12 a set and generally last5+ years for me

 

[LongRoadBob]

I walk around the plane once, literally just walk around it, mostly looking for cones or someone bumping it, and go.

The full preflight used to be called a daily flight check (or something like that)

On our club checklist we have asterisks beside the point that are designated DI (Daily Inspection), and these are just a few points like check lights, Flap operation, main switch, avionics main, avionics cooling fan.
Other than that all other points done before each flight.
I should check the POH.

 

[Salty]

IMSAFE sounds like the most important in this scenario. More likely the pilot let’s pressure and stress force an error than the equipment fails. If you can keep an “it’s ok if we stop in the middle with people half here and there” attitude, then cool.

 

[DesertNomad]

Six 2 hour legs in one day? Man, I'd have to rethink my transportation plans.

It would only be 5 legs since you would not return to the starting point after the last group was brought to the destination.

 

[JOhnH]

It would only be 5 legs since you would not return to the starting point after the last group was brought to the destination.

Duh,
You're right.
But even 5 two hour legs in one day would be too much for me. Of course, it would be harder now than it was 45 years ago, so it might not be a problem for everyone.
The best thing about it would be that I would get 5 chances to go to the bathroom

 

[Sinistar]

Heres another one to maybe consider, especially if the legs were longer and there is some medium/high altitude. You might want some 02 with. I find if I do a lot of flying around 8500msl or a bit higher I am more likely to feel downright tired at the end of the day, especially if there are a couple longer legs of 2+hrs at those altitudes or higher. So on your stop between passengers you would check your 02 bottle and oximeter battery. Then you could safely top off on some 02 on your empty legs back to get the next group.

For all those flights, your tablet and/or phone is gonna die. So you'd probably want to plug them into a powerbank or switch out powerbanks during those stops if not during actual flight.

Speaking of tablet / phone. At the stops you might want to get on the wifi and have your gadgets pull the latest wx. Here in the states you might even want to call a briefer during your stop if the wx seems to be changing.

A lot can go on during those stops beyond the checklist, bathroom, fuel and water.