AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2021 - T-10

The logic behind a postflight inspection is
simple: It's far better to discover an issue that
needs to be addressed at the beginning of a
stay than at the end, when loaded up with
passengers ready to depart.

THAT LITTLE RED POP-UP INDICATOR

shows that dirty oil is bypassing
the oil filter. It could mean hours of sitting
around the FBO with your family if you
don't catch it during a postflight.

T-10 | AOPA PILOT May 2021

because one of the triggers to activate
emergency lights is a loss of normal electrical power. Turning off the battery but
forgetting the emergency lights could
lead to a no-go situation on the next flight
if the power supply has been depleted.
Control locks are sometimes omitted
by pilots if they know the airplane will
be going into a hangar, but this strategy
ignores the risk to the airplane for the
hours it may be on the ramp before or
after being hangared. A large jet blowing exhaust across an unlocked control
surface can cause violent movement of
the surface, and the pilot would never
know about the stress imposed. Anytime
the pilot will be away from the aircraft
for more than a few minutes, the control
lock should be engaged, and certainly

when leaving the aircraft overnight, hangared or not.
Once you've ensured the cockpit has
been properly set to leave the aircraft, a
deliberate postflight inspection should be
performed. The logic behind a postflight
inspection is simple: It's far better to discover an issue that needs to be addressed
at the beginning of a stay than at the end,
when loaded up with passengers ready
to depart. Depending on the location, the
coordination of maintenance personnel
and parts arriving at the aircraft can be a
process measured in days, so better to get
it started sooner rather than later.
A postflight consists of the same steps
as a preflight inspection, but with special
attention given to the items most likely
to have entered an undesirable state in
flight. " Fluids, filters, tires, and damage " is a quick mental checklist to cue
you about what should be most carefully
examined during the postflight.
" Tires and damage " is largely
self-explanatory, but I see a surprising number of turbine pilots who skip
checking either once the airplane is shut
down. The best chances for tire damage
are during takeoff and landing, so taking
a careful look around the visible circumference of the mains on postflight is a
must. In terms of broader aircraft damage, bird strikes are a common offender.
Many smaller birds can impact an airplane without the pilot being aware, so
a check of leading edges and antennas
is prudent.
" Fluids " -hydraulic fluid and
oil-don't stay at the desired levels indefinitely. In the case of engine oil, most
manufacturers state the oil level can
only be accurately read when the oil is
hot, and often specify that it be checked
10 minutes after engine shutdown. That
means the postflight inspection, in this
case, is a necessary part of the next
flight's preflight inspection because the
oil level can't be accurately assessed
when cold.
" Filters " are, in my experience, one
of most-often skipped postflight items.
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2021
