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Appreciation post: An old pilot in Anchorage changed how I see pre-flights
I was doing a walk-around on a Cessna 172 last winter, just ticking boxes, when this retired bush pilot named Hank watched me for a minute. He pointed at the wing root and said, 'You're looking, but are you seeing? That gap seal has a 3/16 inch tear starting.' It hit me that I was just going through motions, not really inspecting. How do you guys keep your pre-flights from getting too routine?
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skyler_robinson26mo ago
Hank's advice is solid, but calling it a "gap seal" on a 172 is a bit off. That part is the wing root fairing, a fiberglass piece. The seal itself is just the tape along its edge. Point is the same though, you have to actually focus on each piece. I change my route every few weeks, starting at the tail sometimes. It forces your brain to pay attention to the details you might skip.
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miller.thomas6mo ago
Wait, he was off about the part name? That's wild, I would have taken his word for it completely.
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valp326mo ago
Classic case of sounding so confident you could convince someone the sky is green. I'd have bought the wrong part and been taping a salad bowl to my wing.
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green.iris4mo ago
starting at the tail sometimes" - honestly that's genius. I've been doing the same inspection order for years and I probably miss stuff without realizing it.
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