Pre-flight checks

Again, unlike a car, we cannot just throw our cases into the back and hope for the best. The basic aircraft is carefully weighed so that the weight and position of the centre of gravity are both known. We have to worry about the move – able weights and do weight and balance calculations for the loads we are carrying on this flight. Every aircraft has a flight manual and it is this that will tell us if our loading is within safe limits for the aircraft. We are not going far – we will be in uncontrolled airspace and visibility and forecast are good, so we will not need to file a flight plan. It is still a good idea to plan what we intend to do, though. Runway in current use is 22T (the 22 means the heading is about 220° on the DI), so we will take off southwest towards the city, turn left towards the east before we get to the built-up area and try some turns, stalls and a few other manoeuvres. We will then rejoin the circuit and land – a total flight time of perhaps 50 minutes.

Now for our detailed pre-flight checks. We first inspect the paperwork to make sure our particular aircraft has up-to-date service records, insurance, etc. Taking our checklist, we then go to the aircraft. First we switch off the radios and then switch on the master switch and the switches for all the systems we are going to test – the flashing anti-collision beacon, the navigation lights, the landing lights and the pitot heater. We walk round the aircraft, checking that all these systems are working, then we return to the cockpit and test the flaps before switching everything off again.

Now we walk slowly round the aircraft, checking such things as the con­dition of the tyres and brakes, the condition of the surfaces, the control hinges, etc. We also make sure that, when we waggle the controls, the main yoke moves in the correct direction – misrigging has been known! As we come to the leading edge of the starboard wing we notice a small hole. This is the stall­warning device. As an aerofoil approaches the stall the suction at the leading edge gets stronger. The stall warning device sounds a buzzer in the cockpit when the aerofoil is dangerously close to the stall. We test that this is working by sucking gently at the hole. Now we are at the nose we check the engine oil level and the condition of the propeller. We must also check the fuel. First we take samples to make sure it has not been contaminated by water and then we clamber on to a step on the strut of each wing in turn to dip the tank and make sure we have enough fuel for the flight – the electrical gauges may fail and there are no filling stations at 3000 ft. Clearly the last pilot filled it up before he parked it, so we do not have to worry about a trip to the pumps.

Nearly there now! We get into the cockpit, plug our headsets in ready for use and check that the instruments and controls are all in good condition and the first aid and fire extinguisher are to hand and in date. Then we adjust the seats and strap ourselves in. Time to start the engine. Fuel on, three strokes of the primer as the engine is cold, mixture rich, carburettor heat cold, throttle to idle, master switch and anti-collision beacon on, check that no circuit breakers have popped out, open the window and shout, ‘Clear prop’ as a warning to the unwary and then turn the key and slowly push the throttle forward. As the engine starts we check that the starter motor has disengaged, that the oil pressure is rising satisfactorily, that the ammeter is reading satis­factorily and that the vacuum gauge is reading in the green area. Now we set the engine speed to 1200 rpm, put on our headsets, make sure the intercom is switched on and that we can hear each other.

A few checks still to do. I told you flying was a thorough business. Magnetos are duplicated for safety, so we make sure that the engine will run happily on either one before returning the switch to both on. Now we set the DI to agree with the magnetic compass and the altimeter to read the approxi­mate height of the airfield (200 ft). Then if we do forget to set it later on it will not be too far out. In this flight we will be measuring altitude with respect to mean sea level (known as QNH). The engine temperature now looks OK and it is time to contact the tower. We are told that runway 22 is in use, that the surface wind is 8 knots from 270° and that the QNH is 1009.0 millibars (remember them?). We repeat back the information, check the altimeter setting and now we are ready to taxi to the runway.