Two lessons learned on R22 prefright, er, preflight inspections.
1) After refueling, I checked tanks visually and put the caps back on. Upwind TO, follwed by climbing left 180 toward destination. After landing, all my FW friends come out to look over the beast. One casually sez, "Is that hole supposed to be there?". I offer the only reply a highly-qualified heli pilot can, "Duhhh, what hole???" The hole on the top of the left tank, visible because there's NO BLOODY CAP. Yes, sharp reader, that is the side the tail rotor lives on. <img src="eek.gif" border="0"> Sick feeling in the gut followed. I DID put the cap on (paint stripe lined up), and I bet it was within 2 or 3 degrees of not fully tightened. I never would have believed it could loosen like that in just a few minutes. By pure dumb luck, the airport tractor used for cutting the grass had a cap that fit perfectly. <img src="wink.gif" border="0"> Still, I put it on the right side, taped it on, and felt it with my hand occasionally on the return flight. That will NOT happen to me again.
2) Picking up aircraft that just had a 100-hour inspection to ferry it home. Found carb-heat and cyclic-trim knobs in exchanged positions. Don't know whether to be more disgusted with mechanic that did the work or the inspector that was supposed to inspect it. <img src="mad.gif" border="0"> During outside walk-around, I'm distracted by conversation with my passenger, my high-time USAF pilot father. Closing on the home field, I call the tower with no response. Hmmmmmmmm, comm failure. After landing, I check the coax cable that attaches to the antenna base. It's hanging free. Even with that item on the checklist, and the list in my hand on the walk-around, I still missed it. So did the mechanic who took it off and didn't reconnect, but my fault, for sure. Moral: if you're distracted during a pre-flight, start over. Better, keep others away until you finish.
Sprocket: good point on the unused belts being inside the A/C, but also make sure they are SECURED, too, so they can't foul the controls. Same for unused headsets, etc. If doors off, make sure nothing is lose enough for the wind to carry it out the door. I'm paranoid about the TR now.. . Good thread! Keep it coming. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">