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Guys and gals, please don?t forget to do a walk around.

AX-O

Well Known Member
This post is intended just to remind us (myself included) not to get complacent. In the past few months I have observed multiple mistakes by RV people that should have never happen. The first one was an oil door left opened during an airshow. In this particular case the pilot did his engine run up and did not see the open door. He was alerted by a wingman right before entering the runway. The second one was a tie down chain left attached to one wing. The pilot started his plane and his wingman alerted him of the situation. The one I saw today was another one that should have not happen. An RV taxied down the taxi way at Mojave, CA and I saw a red flag hanging at the bottom of the wing. It took me a few seconds to figure out it was the pitot tube cover. The pilot forgot to remove it before flight. I took off running to the closest RV and asked the guy to please pass the information along. A few minutes later I saw the RV take off and I made sure it did not have the pitot cover.

Please remember that the errors that we make as pilots can cause negative results not only to us but also to our families and friends. Please take the extra few minutes and check your plane. If not for you, for your passengers. Thank you and happy flying.
 
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Good advice. I've made my share of dumb mistakes, like taking off in a C-310 with the nose baggage door unlatched... or launching in a Beech 1900 with a loose fuel cap. Duh. I learned from these boo boos; always do a walk around before every flight, even if just after a quick turn fuel/pee stop. It doesn't have to be an up-close poke and prod, but a high speed pass taking in the big picture basically... fuel caps, bag/oil doors, chocks, pitot covers. To some it might be silly since it's just a 5 minute fuel stop, but what if a lineman threw a chock under there that you didn't know about? Also, RVs seem to draw attention when at the pumps; people can gather around asking questions and looking. That's cool and I know we all like to show off our ships, but it's a distraction... this is where the high speed walk around can save some embarrassment.
 
Habit patterns. They'll save your life some day. If my walk around habit pattern gets interupted for any reason, I always start over. Once the walk around is over, I always do one more from a distance looking for major items like inlet plugs, tie downs, chocks, covers, fasteners, latches, etc. YMMV.
 
I always did one thorough walk around and one more distant walk around looking for stuff that one doesn't see when it is right in your face. My instructor when I was getting my ppl always screwed with me. Hooking tie downs back up. Turning fuel caps and open latches. It was good training.
 
After getting everything loaded, including passangers I now do a walk around before I get in the airplane (don't bother asking why).
 
Preflight

We had a guy in a 172 start his engine yesterday with the tow bar attached. The continental sucked the tow bar into the Prop taking a few inches off the end of each tip. Nobody was hurt however a vood lesson learned. Removing towbar will be on my checklist.
 
I saw a major airlines check pilot take off and then land with his tow bar still attached. It did not hit the prop but he was sure embarassed.

I just attended an FAA "safety standown" Wings program seminar. One of the main focuses of the program was preflight checks, stressing the importance of feeling things rather than just looking at them. This will often show that a fastener is loose where just looking won't indicate that condition.

I started out feeling I was somewhat above the need to be in the training as it seemed so basic, but I did get some good reminders and in the end I was glad I went through it. I actually did learn some and the reminders of the importance of continuing education was worth being there to hear.

At the end of the program I was impressed by the statistics quoted regarding accident rates. Those who don't attend some type of refresher training are much much more likely to become an accident statistic.
 
Habit patterns are important. I made a major error at the formation clinic yesterday. I closed the canopy on a tip up and latched the canopy latching mechanism without actually pushing on the canopy to insure it was latched. Since my canopy warning comes off the latch I would not have received a warning when adding power. A very alert flight lead (CB from team RV) noted the canopy did not appear fully closed. The section section takeoff would have been much more interesting had he not caught the canopy not fully latched.

George
 
I once saw a guy in a pie chaser fly by me with a towbar hanging. I watched one of TWA's first & finest 747 drivers taxi past me with a tailwheel dolly hooked to his RV4. What a couple of idiots! I'll NEVER do that! Last week I took a friend for a ride. Preflighted in the hangar (can you see it coming?), pulled the plane out and got distracted giving my buddy harness instruction, walked behind the plane to close hangar door and FIRED UP WITH TOWBAR ATTACHED. Good thing I'm invulnerable AND complacent or I might have hurt someone.
 
We had a guy in a 172 start his engine yesterday with the tow bar attached. The continental sucked the tow bar into the Prop taking a few inches off the end of each tip. Nobody was hurt however a vood lesson learned. Removing towbar will be on my checklist.

We have a rule, we never leave the towbar attached without holding on to it. If we have to walk away, the towbar gets removed and set aside. So far, it's prevented such an occurrence.
 
And do the same walk around even if you are only going to taxi from the fuel pumps to your hangar...:)

Friday evening I had to return a Myers fuel cap to it's owner. It was found on the ground by the fuel pump...:rolleyes:

Sometimes it's tempting to skip the walk around if we are not actually going to go flying...
 
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use hands and eyes

even tho i may get dirty, i like to run my hands down the trailing edge, or leading edges ( & underside). Then after I'm all done, I step back, 20 feet behind and 20 feet ahead, and just crouch down and admire my beautiful ship. Of course, I'm really looking for an aileron out of rig, or a rag hanging out of the cowl etc. something you just won't see when you're right on top of it.
IF something looks funny, it probably ain't right.
 
Towbars

I had a 172 fly over me with his tow bar attached while I was down wind for 18 at Oshkosh :eek: I have a witness.
 
ABCD

My instructor taught me always do A-B-C-D when about to get in the plane.

A= Aircraft (have you done a walk around).

B= Ballast (are you carying any extra ballast that may affect your normal C/G or take off distance)

C= Controls ( have you moved your controls full travel in all directions to make sure there are no unusual noises)

D = Dolly (have you removed the dolly)
 
On either my second or third flight after importing my RV-6, I took off with the pitot cover hanging. Realized that my climbout speed was indicating 30mph, and put two and two together pretty quick. Flew a circuit and landed using GPS for speed instead... No problems.
 
On either my second or third flight after importing my RV-6, I took off with the pitot cover hanging. Realized that my climbout speed was indicating 30mph, and put two and two together pretty quick. Flew a circuit and landed using GPS for speed instead... No problems.

You'd be amazed how many student I've had that have said things like "gear up and locked," "Airspeed's alive," and my favorite "everything's green" on the take off roll when in fact none of those things were true.

Pull the nav light c/b on an M20J you kill the engine instruments, yet he reported everything up and in the green in the go then about had a panic attack after the gear came up.

Had a student fly across Florida dragging the gear in a Seminole, only realized her mistake after 1.5 and trying to drop the gear for the ILS, wondering the whole way across the state why the airplane was so slow.

More than one instance of "airspeeds alive" with student leaving the pitot cover on, in full view of them the ENTIRE taxi out! Followed by my "abort" call as soon as they say it.

And on, and on, and on. Habit patterns will save your life, but only if we pay more than just lip service to them!
 
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Correct you are Axel!!

Oh Drat, I really hate telling this on myself. In late 2008, I took my RV-4 to McKee Aviation in San Marcos, TX to have my transponder checked. Upon completion of the inspection...I was somewhat distracted by a BEAUTIFUL brunette wondering around the shop, who was apparently taken with my -4.

We proceeded with buttoning up, I paid my bill, SWAGGERED back out to my trusty steed & mounted up (however, in retrospect, I probably looked like a harbor seal flopping into a Volkswagen). I taxied out and took off. I recall looking down and seeing her intensively watching my takeoff. With a smug grin on my face, I was certain she was thinking "Hey Tiger (I was MOST certain she was calling me Tiger) why don't you come back and take me to dinner!! Well, she had her hands shading her eyes watching the plane intently... What else was I supposed to think???:D:D:D Oh man, the RV life is just too cool!!! Right??

When she was finally out of sight, I returned my attention to flying the plane. I did my rapid instrument scan & saw I had "0" airspeed!! It hit me like a ton of bricks!! She wasn't thinking TIGER anything ... She was thinking " THAT DUMB ******* DIDN'T REMOVE HIS PITOT COVER...." :(

...I still have that pitot cover. I flew today and thought about that... Axel is spot on folks. I hope my stupid story helps. It was a wakeup call to me.

Be careful!!
 
Touching

I did a pre flight this week and fortunately decided it was worth it to actually give a tug on the exhaust stacks. One was indeed loose. I am sure glad I found it before it fell off and I would have to replace hardware before flying again.
 
Pre-flight

When she was finally out of sight, I returned my attention to flying the plane. I did my rapid instrument scan & saw I had "0" airspeed!! It hit me like a ton of bricks!! She wasn't thinking TIGER anything ... She was thinking " THAT DUMB ******* DIDN'T REMOVE HIS PITOT COVER...."

The above is well written and very funny because most of us can relate. Point is that we all are vulnerable to oversights. maintaining good habits will save our lives.
 
Oh Drat, I really hate telling this on myself. In late 2008, I took my RV-4 to McKee Aviation in San Marcos, TX to have my transponder checked. Upon completion of the inspection...I was somewhat distracted by a BEAUTIFUL brunette wondering around the shop, who was apparently taken with my -4.

We proceeded with buttoning up, I paid my bill, SWAGGERED back out to my trusty steed & mounted up (however, in retrospect, I probably looked like a harbor seal flopping into a Volkswagen). I taxied out and took off. I recall looking down and seeing her intensively watching my takeoff. With a smug grin on my face, I was certain she was thinking "Hey Tiger (I was MOST certain she was calling me Tiger) why don't you come back and take me to dinner!! Well, she had her hands shading her eyes watching the plane intently... What else was I supposed to think???:D:D:D Oh man, the RV life is just too cool!!! Right??

When she was finally out of sight, I returned my attention to flying the plane. I did my rapid instrument scan & saw I had "0" airspeed!! It hit me like a ton of bricks!! She wasn't thinking TIGER anything ... She was thinking " THAT DUMB ******* DIDN'T REMOVE HIS PITOT COVER...." :(

...I still have that pitot cover. I flew today and thought about that... Axel is spot on folks. I hope my stupid story helps. It was a wakeup call to me.

Be careful!!

The big question is did you turn around, land and remove it in front of her? Or did you land somewhere else and never go back there again? :D

Oh, and it takes about 2100 RPM and some back pressure to jump the chocks in a C-152. :eek:
 
walk around

Long ago in flight school, an old-timer instructor taught me to *always* do just one more simple walk around from ten feet away, just before climbing in. Takes 15 seconds - no matter what you did during pre-flight inspection, just go all the way around one last time. Cowl plugs out? Covers off? Nothing dripping from cowl? Oil door closed? (moving left...) Control locks off? Tailwheel towbar off? (around back...) Elevators move ok? (wiggle up & down). Ailerons move? (cycle). No red flags waving around? And last but not least, CAN YOU *SEE* THE UNCOVERED PITOT TUBE?? (yep).

Climb in and go.

- Steven
700+ RV3 hours
 
Oh, and it takes about 2100 RPM and some back pressure to jump the chocks in a C-152. :eek:

I can verify that. As, I'm sure, can the guys at FSDO where I was parked taking care of some other business.

I'm sure they all got a good laugh out of the newbie pilot...:eek:
 
Correction.

...) ....Elevators move ok? (wiggle up & down). Ailerons move? (cycle). No red flags waving around? And last but not least, CAN YOU *SEE* THE UNCOVERED PITOT TUBE?? (yep).

Climb in and go.

- Steven
700+ RV3 hours

Two weeks ago, I started giving a new -9A owner some dual to check him out in it.

I showed him the proper way to do a flight control check....stick fully forward and all the way left, then right.

Stick full aft and all the way left, then right and forward...guess what, the engine revved up quickly!:eek: The builder had the throttle left of center and the stick pushed it forward when we had the sticks to the right and moved them forward!

Best,
 
HOW do you do a good walk-around?

I have tried a few things to help, but if you are doing a walkaround ( preflight) without an actual checklist, then how do you know you've done all 17 items?
I have numbered my 'things I have to remove' so I'm sure when I have 7 items in my bag, I've removed all my cowl plugs, control locks & pitot cover.
...because I can't hold them all in my hand while I dip the tanks and sump the drains, obviously, so I have to make numerous trips to the cockpit to put the stuff in it's bag...then return to the spot I left to continue the preflight.
( far from Ideal, you say...yup, I agree!)
when I'm in the cabin, I put the checklist on my knee, and go thru each item, and look at the location if possible ( left fuel cap on and secure, quantity noted - check!) but still ....I've taxied to the wash bay with my dip-stick laying on the wing root, out of sight, on the pax side. ( okay, maybe the dip-stick was in the cockpit! :) NOTE: add to checklist, "fuel drain tube and dipstick, secured in glove box" - check!
sometimes I think I need an FO to do all this stuff, eh?!
 
Then there's the car......

I was flying out of town for several days. I was loaded up, fueled up and hosed the dust off. I climbed in, fired up the tablet, buckled up and secured the cockpit, completed start checklist and was about to release the brakes. I glanced over at my truck and saw the bed hatch up (with a bunch of tools back there) and the rear door standing open. :mad:
Seems I need to add "secure vehicle" to the pre-start checklist.
I hate getting old.
 
True confession time, here's my "failed to do last walk around" story.

I was giving instrument instruction to a pilot in a 172. I arrived as it was getting dark, pilot said he had done pre-flight. I walked around the plane at its tie down anyway. Did ground briefing. Now it was dark. I went to the terminal to empty my bladder, when I got back, pilot had pulled the plane out of the tie down area. I got in (no walk around), we took off, did several approaches (no landings), returned, landed, taxied to the fuel island. I got out, and nearly had a heart attack. There, still attached to the nose wheel, was the tow bar. By some grace of God it had never bounced up into the prop.
 
postflight too?

Always try to do a 'general condition' as I approach the airplane, full walk around (hopefully without interruption), and one last look over before climbing in. And don't forget the post-flight inspection as well. Sometimes things are easier caught after flight than before the next, especially if something happened during flight to bring attention to it. My $0.02.
 
For those that installs chains or cables around their props as extra security........, use as many flags around your ignition switch to remind you! I have seen the mess one of those chains made and it was not pretty!

For my aircraft onboard cammeras switches (all located outside the aircraft), I have made this suction cup flag and it works excellent as reminders for whatever you want to use them!

If you use a chain, you can use one of them on top of the cowling!

Ill take a picture of one of mine soon and post! Nothing to it and made of recicled Sun and Fun/Oshkosh "Rally GA" AOPA wired flags! I deliver "THE" message in the process!
 
For those that installs chains or cables around their props as extra security........, use as many flags around your ignition switch to remind you! I have seen the mess one of those chains made and it was not pretty!

For my aircraft onboard cammeras switches (all located outside the aircraft), I have made this suction cup flag and it works excellent as reminders for whatever you want to use them!

If you use a chain, you can use one of them on top of the cowling!

Ill take a picture of one of mine soon and post! Nothing to it and made of recicled Sun and Fun/Oshkosh "Rally GA" AOPA wired flags!
 
I have tried a few things to help, but if you are doing a walkaround ( preflight) without an actual checklist, then how do you know you've done all 17 items?

In the military we did a "check and do" list. The airlines use a flow pattern followed by a check list. I preferred the airline method.
 
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