Remove Before Flight Poll

[201er]

What items have you forgotten to remove before starting up? Did you realize them or takeoff with them still attached?

Since we have some real cowboys on here, you can select multiple choices for the poll! Select all that occurred at least once.

How you realize it? What did you do? Whah happened? How have you improved your process to prevent a repeat?

Edited Sunday at 04:59 PM by 201er

[Hank]

I can always tell the chocks are there when I can't taxi away. Once I stopped briefly at an FBO to drop off a friend, and visited the men's room. Didn't chock the plane, started up and couldn't taxi. Shut down, got out and removed a mystery set of chocks, and not knowing where they came from, I just moved them out of the way, cranked up and taxied away.

Have only missed the pitot cover one time, knew something wasn't right when the Airspeed needle didn't come alive on takeoff. The runway was long enough to stop and taxi back; my wife volunteered to get out, circle behind the plane and remove it without shutting down since temps were around freezing. Sure is nice to have a supportive, understanding spoise!

[EricJ]

6 minutes ago, Hank said:

I can always tell the chocks are there when I can't taxi away. Once I stopped briefly at an FBO to drop off a friend, and visited the men's room. Didn't chock the plane, started up and couldn't taxi. Shut down, got out and removed a mystery set of chocks, and not knowing where they came from, I just moved them out of the way, cranked up and taxied away.

A buddy and I flew in to a wings meeting that was held at one of the big flight schools that has a long flight line and a ton of planes.    We parked his Cherokee off the end of the schools long line of Archers and chocked one wheel.   Before we made it into the building a few students walking by had tied it down and chocked the other wheel.  I guess they do that by reflex there.   We were both amused and impressed.

[Ragsf15e]

I got my airplane out of the avionics shop just to taxi back to my hangar.  Did a half-ass walk around and climbed in.  It was right in front of tge fbo fence on a beautiful morning and there were a bunch of people and kids watching the airplanes from just the other side of the fence.  I waved at a few kids and cranked it up.  Next thing I knew, the two little red flags on my cowl covers (and the entire cowl cover assembly itself) were violently ripped from the intake and thrown across the ramp.  The engine was idling peacefully.  I swallowed a large piece of humble pie, shutdown, climbed out (now not looking at anyone), and retrieved my covers.  Then I climbed back in and prayed she would start perfectly, cranked her up and taxiied to my hangar. Ouch.

[N201MKTurbo]

After 6000 hours, I’m a perfect pilot and I’m incapable of making such mistakes. At least I thought so till I was holding short at KSBA when a beautiful TBM taxied to the hold short line next to me, and called me on tower and informed me there was a tie down rope hanging from my left wing……

[takair]

Chocks…obvious, just embarrassing. Pitot cover noted on takeoff roll airspeed cross check. External control locks on Cessna noted when doing control sweep short of runway. I’m glad that cross check caught it. Other stupid stuff too, cowl flaps, trim, flaps, running over cones.  ALL when cheating on the checklist. Rushing, distractions, complacency. I’m still trying for that perfect flight. 

[47U]

I, too, am chock afflicted.  Twice.  As my mental focus is on the sortie into IMC early in my IFR training.  With my CFII in the right seat.

And once, long ago when I was a crew chief, they told me (when we returned to Offutt) that I failed to pull chocks before climbing onboard my -135.  I think they’re lying.  I would never do that.

”Over wing and aft hatches checked closed.  CHOCKS, ground wires, pitot tube covers, and external ground equipment is removed.  Upper and lower rotating beacons on and rotating.  Aircraft is in taxi configuration.”

[varlajo]

Oil door. Cargo door.. 

[Marc_B]

Personally I don’t like keeping tow bar attached when not in use. I understand why some do it, and tow bar used as a chock seems okay. But my habit is when the tow bar is on it’s in my hand and when not in my hand it’s off will save a LOT of damage. It’s happened to a local pilot. 
 

I also have the habit of putting my tow bar, cowl plugs and pitot cover in the back where the pilot can see them. I’ve looked over my shoulder to verify them more than once. Reassuring to see them before the key goes in the ignition. 
 

** the above are my habits and not trying to convince anyone else what they should or shouldn’t be doing. 

[EricJ]

3 hours ago, Ragsf15e said:

I got my airplane out of the avionics shop just to taxi back to my hangar.  Did a half-ass walk around and climbed in.  It was right in front of tge fbo fence on a beautiful morning and there were a bunch of people and kids watching the airplanes from just the other side of the fence.  I waved at a few kids and cranked it up.  Next thing I knew, the two little red flags on my cowl covers (and the entire cowl cover assembly itself) were violently ripped from the intake and thrown across the ramp.  The engine was idling peacefully.  I swallowed a large piece of humble pie, shutdown, climbed out (now not looking at anyone), and retrieved my covers.  Then I climbed back in and prayed she would start perfectly, cranked her up and taxiied to my hangar. Ouch.

I always tell people to put the rope between the cowl plugs around the front of one of the prop blades.   This way if you do forget it, it'll fling the whole thing down the ramp, like yours, which is way better than taking off with them still in.

[Justin Schmidt]

6 minutes ago, EricJ said:

I always tell people to put the rope between the cowl plugs around the front of one of the prop blades.   This way if you do forget it, it'll fling the whole thing down the ramp, like yours, which is way better than taking off with them still in.

That's how i was taught.  I also had the flags, but any wind would take them down the field 

[toto]

6 minutes ago, EricJ said:

I always tell people to put the rope between the cowl plugs around the front of one of the prop blades.   This way if you do forget it, it'll fling the whole thing down the ramp, like yours, which is way better than taking off with them still in.

I always thought that was the purpose of connecting the cowl plugs with a strap? 

[PeteMc]

35 minutes ago, EricJ said:

I always tell people to put the rope between the cowl plugs around the front of one of the prop blades.   This way if you do forget it, it'll fling the whole thing down the ramp, like yours, which is way better than taking off with them still in.

Yep, I do the same thing with the strap of the cowl plugs.  I'm now going to jinx myself <sigh>, but so far I've luckily never seen if it actually works or not.

I'm also in the crowd that does not leave the tow bar in the wheel.  If nothing else, it works as a "little" chock if there's a slant to the ramp if the full size ones aren't right there.  

[Mooneymite]

Wheels down for landing... everything else is just a detail.  

[Hank]

3 minutes ago, Mooneymite said:

Wheels down for landing... everything else is just a detail.  

Fuel ON for takeoff, too.  

[Skates97]

6 hours ago, Hank said:

I can always tell the chocks are there when I can't taxi away.

At Pagosa Springs KPSO on the transient ramp there are some depressions where your wheels sit at some of the tie down spots. The airport sits at 7,628' so it already takes a bit to get the plane rolling. There was once I kept increasing power and it just wasn't moving. I finally decided I must have forgotten the chocks, shut down, and got out to remedy the situation. No chocks, just in a slight depression and needed a lot more throttle than I was expecting. One of the guys from the FBO was on the ramp and said "I knew what was going on when you shut down, just give it more throttle."

On a different occasion I did forget the chocks. One other time I had pulled the plane over to the pumps and with it not quite level put the tow bar flat on the ground in front of the wheel to keep the plane from rolling forward, a makeshift chock. Got in, started up, couldn't go anywhere and realized my mistake.

[dkkim73]

I replied with "tow bar" because, at age 15, I was taxiing a C-152 at Osan AFB (flying club) getting near solo, and my instructor said, "wait... stop. Hmm... Shut down the engine". He got out and held up a tow bar a minute later. 

I face palmed.... there goes the solo.

He actually did solo me later that day. Stan Szumierz, super patient instructor and an Army helo pilot. Great people back there at that time. I remember green Avgas, too. 

[MikeOH]

How did you solo at 15 in a powered aircraft?

[Ragsf15e]

If we’re all doing the mea-culpa thing, then you missed one in the poll and @dkkim73 just reminded me.  I went to South Lake Tahoe with my cfi to get my 3 landings at a towered field for the ppl.  I was ~17ish, and back then South Tahoe had a tower.  Anyway, we did a couple touch and goes in the -172 and then decided to stop for a bathroom break.  After a real quick stop we jumped back in, fired it up and headed for home (MEV).  Well on takeoff there was one hell of a racket.  I thought big pieces of that -172 were falling off and hitting the side because it was shaking too.  Luckily one of us decided to abort the takeoff.  We taxied clear and I suddenly realized my seatbelt was hanging out the door and slamming the side of the plane.  Good times.  But wait, Ive done that twice!  Scrambled an F-15 in Afghanistan and made it like 10 minutes from video games to airborne only to look down halfway through the sortie and realize none of me was strapped into the ejection seat or chute?!

[dkkim73]

2 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

 Scrambled an F-15 in Afghanistan and made it like 10 minutes from video games to airborne only to look down halfway through the sortie and realize none of me was strapped into the ejection seat or chute?!

You know, you are not the only Eagle driver I've heard that from...

 

[dkkim73]

35 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

How did you solo at 15 in a powered aircraft?

@MikeOH You know, honestly my memory is fuzzy. Most of my training was during a time I was 15 but, looking again at the regs, I must have turned 16 to actually do it legally (?). I doubt that age requirement has changed since the 80's, or that being OCONUS made any difference since I remember studying FAA regs in general. To this day, I cannot find my first logbook, so I've not claimed any of that time towards subsequent ratings, but I wish I could find it just for the nostalgic aspect... 

[PT20J]

On my first J  back in the late 80's I took off early before work for a short hop from KRHV to the avionics shop at KSJC. Somehow missed the pitot cover on a hurried preflight and noticed it when there was on airspeed on the takeoff roll. Decided to go ahead anyway and got to try out the red button override on the gear retraction system for real. 

On the same airplane, I can tell you from experience that if you get distracted during preflight and forget a tiedown, and the tiedowns are chains, you will pull the tiedown ring out and you will have to purchase a replacement and your A&P will just laugh at you and hand you a helicoil kit.

[Slick Nick]

2 hours ago, MikeOH said:

How did you solo at 15 in a powered aircraft?

I solo’d at 14. In Canada you only need a student pilot permit for supervised solo. 

[Rick Junkin]

1 hour ago, Ragsf15e said:

10 minutes from video games to airborne only to look down halfway through the sortie and realize none of me was strapped into the ejection seat or chute?!

"2"

[Rick Junkin]

In the "how have you improved your process" category, the last thing I do before climbing into the airplane is go stand 20-30 feet off the nose and give everything a last big picture look. I caught a low tire once that had looked fine in the hangar so it catches more than the obvious stuff with flags and such.