What's your preflight routine?

jhoyt

jhoyt

Pre-Flight
Joined
Jun 29, 2014
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46
Location
Yakima
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Display name:
Jim
Trying to finish training and get my ticket. Getting more comfortable with preflight etc.. and thinking about my checkride preflight. I'm wondering what you all do for your preflight, if you have any important "extras" that you do or check in addition to the generic POH or manufactured checklists (I usually use Checkmate for C172 and 182)? As you walk around the plane, what are some important things that you feel are not on the generic lists? I've been reading Kas THomas' "Fly the ENgine" and he really does a preflight--opens cowling; rotates prop to check cylinder compressions. Re the engine, I check the oil; belts; look for leaking fluids; drain sump; wiggle exhaust, etc...

Curious what many of you have added to your routines.
 
I wrote my own checklist straight from the POH, then modified it for radio upgrades, etc., over the decades before u started flying.

Don't forget the Emergency procedure section!
 
Look at the plane. Look for anything out of the ordinary. This weekend a couple of airbox brackets where broken causing the air cleaner to pooch out. It was a slight change over the last inspection, but it was an indication of something wrong with the airbox.

Know how to take your cowl off and look!
 
I don't use a paper checklist during my walkaround preflight -- I choose not to limit myself to the items someone else felt were the only ones that needed checking. Instead, I simply examine everything visible externally, and open everything which can be opened without tools and examine everything in view internally. In that sense, the aircraft itself is my checklist --if it's there, it gets checked.
 
First thing is first, gas and oil. I check those first. Always.

Everything else is more robotic as I work myself through the interior, exterior, and then back into the interior.

Edit: The rest is pretty much what Ron said above.
 
I make sure the kotter pins are in the castle nuts on the stabilator and antiservo tab.
If those come off I am going to die.

Other than that, walk around, make sure flaps deploy and cannot be pushed back up.
Oil, Sump, check the prop for dings and cracks, 30 foot walk around.

Gut check and Knock on the nose cone for good luck.
 
I have added to my preflight checklist walking around the plane checking each item and saying to myself..."my life depends on this".

It it too easy to get complacent and rush through things especially when you actually own your plane.

I have developed my own checklist with my flow and store it in Foreflight Docs. Have added things like "Forefight & Stratus...communicating"
 
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Shawn said:
I have added to my preflight checklist walking around the plane checking each item and saying to myself..."my life depends on this".

It it too easy to get complacent and rush through things especially when you actually own your plane.
Click to expand...

Not a bad plan at all.
 
I do mine the night before, as well as loading most of the bags and putting in the kids' booster seats. Then in the morning the family isn't standing around while I peek into wheel wells and check oil, it's just load and go.
 
jhoyt said:
..................... preflight, if you have any important "extras" that you do or check in addition .....................
Curious what many of you have added to your routines.
Click to expand...
Either a quick trip to the mens room or step behind the hangar :)
 
Fuel and oil first. If you have to call the truck, might as well get em coming early.
 
I flick a fingernail against the exhaust pipe and listen to it ring. It will sound different if it gets a crack or comes lose.
 
Forgot to add...take a leak:D

Nothing worse than getting to cruise and realizing your bladder range is significantly shorter than fuel range:mad:
 
The other one is to make sure the airplane keys are not in your pants pocket before strapping in or in the case of the Navion, in the canopy handle before shutting the canopy.
The American Navion Society gives out a Navion keyring with every membership. You can tell those who actually use theirs to hold their plane keys because they have two features:

1. The rounded end is chewed up because it has been used to open the cowling dzus fasteners.

2. There's a crease about a third of the way down because that's where the canopy hits it if you forget to remove them before closing the canopy.
 
cgrab said:
I flick a fingernail against the exhaust pipe and listen to it ring. It will sound different if it gets a crack or comes lose.
Click to expand...

Same with the propeller and if it cracks...

Tap the right blade a couple times. Tap the left blade a couple times.
If one goes "ding" and one goes "dong" maybe get it looked at.
 
Is it ok to push and pull on the prop to test the end play of the crank?
 
Make short term due list for the plane, have all the mx needed in the next 3 moths or so on it (oil changes to ADs, to pitot static to annuals), below that write your times for each flight, when you get in you can take a quick look at what's due and when.

Aside from that it really depends on the airframe.

One general tip, never let yourself be distracted during he preflight. I you get a phone call half way through, don't even look at your phone, OR take the call then re-do the entire walk around.
 
Confirm that the nose wheel steering pin is in the vertical position.
 
On yeah, if you're flying a cessna check your seat tracks, and give your body a few good rocks forward and back to make sure the pins in the seat rail engaged.
 
Ron Levy said:
I don't use a paper checklist during my walkaround preflight -- I choose not to limit myself to the items someone else felt were the only ones that needed checking. Instead, I simply examine everything visible externally, and open everything which can be opened without tools and examine everything in view internally. In that sense, the aircraft itself is my checklist --if it's there, it gets checked.
Click to expand...

I'm with this view, also. I use the checklist, but I prefer to start on one end and examine everything I can see or touch as a walk around the plan. Also, with the flaps down, I can see the aileron control cables in the wing. I check those simply because I can see them and look for anything out of the ordinary.

I also look inside the cowling when I check the oil. I'm looking for any hoses or belts and such that look loose or amiss in someway. I look up at the engine from the nose wheel, also.
 
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Very Funny! My priority is to get all the non essential crap done before I start my inspection so I don't get distracted. I pull the covers, chocks, pitot flag, mount the IPAD and headphones, stow anything I have with me etc, before I start my walkaround. I'm still a low hour pilot so I don't use a list as I walk around because it fills my hands making it difficult to check the tanks(high wing plane), but I do check over my list when done before lighting the fire.
 
I always do that! Actually, I do it when I put on my seatbelt and again when I push the throttle in! :D
Last thing, everytime, bathroom! I don't care if it's a 3 hour flight or 20 minutes, never pass up a chance to pee! :D

James331 said:
On yeah, if you're flying a cessna check your seat tracks, and give your body a few good rocks forward and back to make sure the pins in the seat rail engaged.
Click to expand...
 
James331 said:
On yeah, if you're flying a cessna check your seat tracks, and give your body a few good rocks forward and back to make sure the pins in the seat rail engaged.
Click to expand...

Great point.
 
I send my students out to do the preflight. :rofl:

I look for the obvious things that can be broken or missing. Typically, most irregular items will stick out. If it's the first flight of the day I'll do a through check; but if it's the fifth flight, in the same plane, I'll just check the oil and be done.
 
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