Timing of Pre-Flight

AdamZ

AdamZ

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Adam Zucker
So my routine for doing the pre-flight has always been when I pull up to the airport and walk out to the plane I do the pre-flight standard stuff, sump fuel, check oil, look inside the cowl if it is one that pops up, do the walk around, check prop, alternator belt, bird,insects, skin and control surfaces, remove covers etc.

Most of my flights are early morning and I'd do the pre-flight before I launched,b ut now that I have a plane and most importantly its close by, I'm thinking why not just do the majority of the pre-flight the night before, for a 8AM flight I can do most of that stuff the night before, some items may be better held for just before flight such as a check for birds and insect nests but any reason the rest of it can't be done the night prior making for a speedier departure in the AM? The plane is in a hangar without a door so its not out on the ramp in a row of tie-downs.
 
Things can break on the airplane overnight while sitting. Are you
Really trying to save yourself 10 minutes to do a preflight the night before a flight.
That pitot tube could have became clogged overnight and you didn't check just prior to launch. Just saying. I may be paranoid.
 
evapilotaz said:
Things can break on the airplane overnight while sitting. Are you
Really trying to save yourself 10 minutes to do a preflight the night before a flight.
That pitot tube could have became clogged overnight and you didn't check just prior to launch. Just saying. I may be paranoid.
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Well my preflights take more than 10 minutes. ( I have 4 to six tanks plus the belly drain to sump depending on the trip ) All covers stay on over night so nothing is going in the pitot tube, but I'd check that anyway when I remove the cover. I guess I'm wondering whats going to break in 14 hours of sitting in a hangar other than 1) someone screwing with the plane, 2) a nest being built.
 
Ok I fly c172 only so I don't know what you fly. Let those more experience pilot owners chime in. I'm just a lowly less than 150hr ppl.
 
AdamZ said:
...any reason the rest of it can't be done the night prior making for a speedier departure in the AM? The plane is in a hangar without a door so its not out on the ramp in a row of tie-downs.
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That answers your question right there.

JMHO.
 
hangar with no door, meh. enclosed hangar, yeh.


dang it, ELP beat me to it.
 
Adam, for me it depends. In a locked hangar that I control, it might be OK. On a ramp somewhere that has no security, I wouldn't do it. Open hangar falls in that category for me.

Likewise if I'm somewhere that an insect or vermin can build something overnight, I wouldn't do it, even in a locked hangar.
 
Whether or not a preflight the night before is okay is only up to you. One may not do the preflight because he flew the plane yesterday and it worked then, just check the liquids and go. Someone else may do a full and through preflight after a 10 minute fuel stop.

Depending what you check, I don't think a preflight the night before is that bad. That being said, I see that you are clearly concerned about doing a full preflight and concerned about the condition of your aircraft, in which case you may want to do it right before the flight to make sure that nothing broke overnight.

How often do you fly?
 
Not asking if its ok, its obviously my decision and I kind of get a bit obsessive about my pre-flights. Really just interested in folks thoughts and I'm not suggesting the pre-flight be skipped entirely. Certainly still stuff to check, nests etc. Certainly would never skip something because someone on the board says ah heck its fine.
 
AdamZ said:
Not asking if its ok, its obviously my decision and I kind of get a bit obsessive about my pre-flights. Really just interested in folks thoughts and I'm not suggesting the pre-flight be skipped entirely. Certainly still stuff to check, nests etc. Certainly would never skip something because someone on the board says ah heck its fine.
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Nah, I get it. You're just interested in our opinion just in case if you missed something.

As an absolute bare minimum check the fluids and do a walk around. Perhaps some other sensitive things that are aircraft specific.
 
I try to fly every day. Rare that I go three days without liftoff. I'm the same boat as OP.

Enclosed, locked hangar, but plenty of racoon-friendly holes in the worn-out building.

I have three stages of insect protection: sticky mud dauber/fly paper, ultrasonic repellents and a UV bug zapper. This keeps all insects and the birds away. I had quite a problem with both, so went overboard on keeping them at bay. Seems to work.

I'll typically skimp on the fuel check if I know I'm under 2 hours out, but I check the oil every single time. I'll sump every couple days. They've never been anything but perfectly clean.

5 to 10 minute preflight, though I give the engine a solid .1 hour warmup for the cockpit preflight and run-up.

Often, opening the busted-*** doors takes longer than anything else.
 
I preflight when I come on shift, I may fly with in 10min or 10hrs from preflight.

I do a 40sec walk around before flight too.

There is a reason it used to be called a daily check
 
I see no problem with it. Normally the biggest concern is water in the fuel tank. Being you are in a hangar don't have much of a chance of water showing up.
 
I have an enclosed hangar. If leaving early in the morning I will do the preflight the night before. I still do a quick walk around and check the fuel in the morning
 
Part of the pre-flight is for me to transion from an earth bound landlubber to thinking like a pilot.
 
AdamZ said:
So my routine for doing the pre-flight has always been when I pull up to the airport and walk out to the plane I do the pre-flight standard stuff, sump fuel, check oil, look inside the cowl if it is one that pops up, do the walk around, check prop, alternator belt, bird,insects, skin and control surfaces, remove covers etc.

Most of my flights are early morning and I'd do the pre-flight before I launched,b ut now that I have a plane and most importantly its close by, I'm thinking why not just do the majority of the pre-flight the night before, for a 8AM flight I can do most of that stuff the night before, some items may be better held for just before flight such as a check for birds and insect nests but any reason the rest of it can't be done the night prior making for a speedier departure in the AM? The plane is in a hangar without a door so its not out on the ramp in a row of tie-downs.
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You're probably safe enough to do that, especially the fuel, oil, and sumping, but as you indicate, the walk around and a final engine compartment check for critters and residue should be performed in the morning.
 
Agree. We do most of the pre flight the night before an early departure. However, old weapons training always dictated:

"If you leave your weapons or take your eyes off them for any length of time always check em before taking them up again. Don't trust your life to an assumption".

I feel same applies to aircraft and THIS rings in my ears before the walk around before departure. I am always a little uneasy before take off. I wish i wasn't. Maybe I'm just nuts. ;)

Henning said:
You're probably safe enough to do that, especially the fuel, oil, and sumping, but as you indicate, the walk around and a final engine compartment check for critters and residue should be performed in the morning.
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I would sump fuel in the morning due to possible condensation inside the tank from the overnight air temperature. And, as you said, check for critters again. Birds can place a lot of junk into a tailcone in an hour.
 
I give it a good look in my hangar the night before and load most of the bags, in the morning it's just pull it out, check level in each tank, and go

as far as worries about "condensation", the only "condensation" I've ever had in a tank came after being parked outside in a driving rainstorm. If you're interested, grab some HVAC tables, make some grossly optimistic assumptions about temperature and humidity swings, and decide is there is any remote possibility of getting "condensation" in a fuel tank enough to drain out a drop of water.
 
JHW said:
I give it a good look in my hangar the night before and load most of the bags, in the morning it's just pull it out, check level in each tank, and go
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I would love to load bags the night before, not happening with my Bride :rolleyes:. I do like to take on my fuel the night before and sump in the morning. The pre-flight takes place the morning of departure, it doesn't take that long and the brain is fresh and geared up for flight.

Aircraft hangared in a newer unit. Doors close up pretty tight when it's locked down.
 
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The question is what do you find in a preflight inspection that needs maintenance?
 
Geico266 said:
The question is what do you find in a preflight inspection that needs maintenance?
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Low tires, low struts, flap system, flight controls sticking, alternator belt slipping, ding in prop that needs dressing....
 
Open hangar, I wouldn't. The hangars here are FBO owned and I have to move planes in and out pretty frequently. I'm always careful about it but something could happen if they were towing your plane in and out to move others. If it's a private hangar I'd say you're fine.

It would bother the bejesus out of me getting in the plane without doing the entire pre-flight in one go though. Even if I knew I did some the night before or even 20 mins before.
 
I have used a locked hangar for 16 years and there has only been one surprise, dirt dauber blocked a vent and gas siphoned. Smelled the gas as soon as I opened the doors and saw the large stain on the floor, but it wasn't an over night event. Probably similar evidence on a dirt floor open hangar if too many days hadn't gone by.

Open hangars protect against sun, rain, and hail, all the other risks exist, insects, birds, and theft.

For the last five years my hangar has been in the back yard and, for an early flight, preflight is done the evening before. A fuel level check in the AM but I can not remember when I last found water in the fuel - don't see a need to recheck 10 hours later. Pre departure wind and weather update has me in flight mode.
 
I sometimes may not fly a certain plane for several months. If I'm going on a trip or taking people with me I like to actually go check out the plane over day before and maybe do couple take offs and landings. Even do little reading up on emergency procedures and such. Get plane ready with fuel and such. Next day when leaving might sump tanks and do quick walk around. When I'm flying a 172 or such I tend to make sure it has wings and a propeller. But considering students and renters fly our 172s I actually check them out pretty thoroughly. Usually find square tires.
 
At my home field, with a locked hangar, I preflight the night before. The next morning, pull out of hangar and a 60 second 360* walk around.

If it is on the ramp overnight, a full preflight immediately before departure.
 
I go over my plane every time I return to base - inspecting and taking care of maintenance as I debug it/wipe it down. So, it's stay for the next flight when I leave it.

Still, I pre-flight it; even though it's in a closed, well-sealed hangar. Besides, it doesn't take that long and it helps me transition into pilot mode.
 
AdamZ said:
Most of my flights are early morning and I'd do the pre-flight before I launched,b ut now that I have a plane and most importantly its close by, I'm thinking why not just do the majority of the pre-flight the night before, for a 8AM flight I can do most of that stuff the night before, some items may be better held for just before flight such as a check for birds and insect nests but any reason the rest of it can't be done the night prior making for a speedier departure in the AM? The plane is in a hangar without a door so its not out on the ramp in a row of tie-downs.
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If you could be 100% certain that no one else could touch your plane during the night I wouldn't see a problem with it. I used to do that when my plane was in its own locked T-hangar and I was the one who pulled it out (and assuming no weather issues that could affect the plane inside). Now that it's in a community hangar, I can never assume that someone didn't rash it, so I do a full and VERY careful preflight just before leaving.

The issue I see in your case is that the hangar doesn't have a door. While it's better than being at a tie-down that makes it slightly more vulnerable to weather, and also maybe to tampering. If there are other reasons no one else can fiddle with it you might be okay, otherwise I would just arrive a little earlier in the AM and do a thorough checkover.
 
unsafervguy said:
I don't. thats what the FO is for :D

Bob
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I've watched airline First Officers pre-flight planes while I was waiting to board. What I've seen: if the weather is nasty, the FO often races around the plane looking at pretty much nothing so he can get back inside as fast as possible. A farce, in other words. If the weather is good he actually looks at stuff. If the weather is good and the flight will cross an ocean he will look at stuff very carefully.

Somehow, just the same, fatalities on US airlines are pretty much nil.
 
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