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?

3 comments

3 Comments

skyler_robinson223d 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.

miller.thomas23d ago

Wait, he was off about the part name? That's wild, I would have taken his word for it completely.

valp3223d 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.