I saw that the FAA had recently issued a reminder to use only the approved checklist. For once I’m glad to be in EASAland.
My DGAC approved Aircraft Manual from 1960 lacks anything avionic related, including radio. It includes options never fitted. The manufacturer is long gone. I’ve copied the relevant parts, and added electrical info. and pre-flight clearance checks.
On the Aztec I always left the flaps down on the ground, because they were designed to be part of the walkway and there was no way I was going to pay the maintenance on that bit of foolery.
In the PA31 series it is a known fault that the flap runners crack. As the flaps are not connected with a torque tube (all flaps should be connected with a torque tube), it means that a broken flap runner will, in all likelihood result in asymmetric deployment, which could spoil the whole afternoon, so it is important to check them regularly. I check them when ground power is available, so about every second or third DI.
Airborne_Again wrote:
As far as approval goes, in EASA-land you don’t have to use approved checklists for non-commercial operations with non-complex aircraft.
Fair enough, I accept that things may be different with different authorities. I also agree that older aircraft may have a genuine need to have an updated checklist, particularly for avionics. I’m sure that the original checklist for a DC-3 did not have “INS alignment” as a before takeoff check.
My theme is to remind new pilots that for most GA aircraft, there will be an approved checklist, and they are responsible to assure that is A reference for their checks. And, some well meaning checklists are double or more the original approved checklist, and that does not make them better. Checklists are better used as a certain way to check that actions have been correctly executed by a competent pilot, rather than a recipe to make up for rusty skills or memory. The competent pilot should use a checklist, but not depend upon it for the safe execution of the flight.
I make my own check lists and use them, updating them occasionally when I see for based on experience. That said, I’m not aware that using any checklist is required by FAA. The POH (if it exists) has to have an approved checklist for reference and the POH had to be on board. I think that’s it.
Maoraigh wrote:
I saw that the FAA had recently issued a reminder to use only the approved checklist.
Could you indicate where you saw that, and/or the source of the information?
Here is a report.
http://www.flyingmag.com/faa-issues-checklist-warning
Pilot_DAR wrote:
Has anyone here found, or known a pilot who has found, a defect with a Cessna 1xx flap during a preflight inspection? Just wondering…
In a sense yes, personally. I lowered flags normally (C172) for the walkaround, which went normally. They wouldn’t go up after engine start. The problem was traced to a contact at the flap motor actuator in the wing. Although I couldn’t relate the failure to the work performed, I had the good fortune to have it happen when picking up the plane after maintenance (that had nothing to do with the flaps and was nowhere near the flap motor), so a helping hand was near.
