Very good points all of them and good for those who read only. But the POH still makes no mention of lowering the tail boom for any of these checks and I want to know if this is a 'spurious' practice that has been passed around on the Pilot network or is it in some literature or directive?
By definition we have to work by prescribed
'rules' and this does not figure in them. That is not to say it is an unacceptable practice, it may be interpretation of what you have to do, eg. check TR Gbox is 'Full' of Oil. (But you can only do it by lowering the tail.)
A trip to engineering today might throw some light on it.....Then again.....it might not !
RW, are your TR blades rotating as you check the drain holes?!
Thanks for the replies up to now.