Take In the Whole Aircraft Before the Walkaround
Start the pre-flight from a few steps back: check the wings are level, look for puddles, marks or anything hanging off, and spot flat tyres hidden by spats.
1 min readKapiti Aero Club safety team
The pre-flight inspection is one of the most critical steps before any flight. Unlike a car, an aircraft can't simply pull over if something goes wrong mid-air.
Most of us are pretty good at checking that every rivet is secure and all the control surfaces move freely. That attention to detail is essential, but it can also narrow our focus.
The pre-flight should begin the moment you walk up to the aircraft. Take a few steps back and ask:
- Are the wings level and symmetrical?
- Are there any puddles under the aircraft, or marks on the fuselage that weren't there before?
- Is anything hanging off the aircraft that shouldn't be?
If the aircraft has spats, a flat or worn tyre can easily hide underneath. A quick look from a few metres away often gives a better sense of tyre condition than inspecting it up close.
So on your next pre-flight, do more than check the parts – take in the whole aircraft.