I was planning on some recurrency training in the R22 today. I got to the checklist item for alternator belt tension, and did kind of a double take -- the inside of the belt on the PAX side was missing about 6 inches of V-notched teeth.
Now when I did a preflight yesterday I didn't notice anything -- maybe the way the belt was positioned I couldn't have seen it, or maybe it happened in flight
Losing the alternator in flight would have been an inconvenience, but the thing that worries me most is that you might end up with a belt piece striking the tail rotor, which would not be a good thing
Anyway, I just wanted to post this as a reminder about complacency. This incident is precisely why I believe in a thorough preflight
Now when I did a preflight yesterday I didn't notice anything -- maybe the way the belt was positioned I couldn't have seen it, or maybe it happened in flight
Losing the alternator in flight would have been an inconvenience, but the thing that worries me most is that you might end up with a belt piece striking the tail rotor, which would not be a good thing
Anyway, I just wanted to post this as a reminder about complacency. This incident is precisely why I believe in a thorough preflight