Training and Safety Tip: Amped-up preflight for spring
Check battery, tires, seasonal obstructions
Alarm clocks set earlier to beat the sun to the airport…lightweight flight jackets migrating to the fronts of closets…must be spring! And while we don’t (generally) have separate checklists for each season, a change of season requires a shift in your preflight emphasis.
Air and water
The changing temperatures that come with spring wreak havoc on tire pressure: Low pressure reduces takeoff performance, while under-inflated tires are more likely to fail on landing. That said, airplane tire pressure is virtually impossible to judge visually, so look up the recommended pressure in the pilot’s operating handbook and get down on the tarmac or hangar floor with a tire pressure gauge. (Tip: If your POH lists unloaded pressure—i.e., the airplane up on jacks—add 4 percent to compensate for ramp pressure.)
Power
As airplanes typically don’t fly as much in the winter as they do in the warmer months, you’ll want to ensure that the airplane’s battery is still in good health; view the amp meter during preflight when checking the lights and avionics, or when cycling electric flaps.
Fellow flyers
Of course, with spring’s nesting season, you have to be on extra alert for your fellow flyers, and I don’t mean the ones you can see on ADS-B traffic displays. I’m talking about our feathered “friends.”
To a bird, any opening in the engine cowl just screams “birdhouse,” and you’d be amazed how quickly some species can set up housekeeping. Use a pen light to look for any signs of debris in openings, and be alert to bird droppings on—or around—your aircraft. In some airplane models, the tail areas are also bird-vulnerable and generally don’t have ramp plugs. Pay special attention to any and all openings during spring preflights.
Another fellow flyer to be on the alert for—who exists throughout North America—is the mud dauber, a type of wasp that builds mud nests in cavities, like, say, pitot tubes.
Spring into action this spring: Evict the birds and the bugs, ensure your airplane’s battery isn’t hibernating, wring out the water, put some pressure where it’s needed, and go enjoy the vernal skies!
