Pre flight Checks/Walkaround
Lou Scannon, you are indeed the type of Captain, and later FO, I'd love to fly with.
Now, at risk of being a boring old fart, or c*, a few of the major things I've picked up on in 25 yrs of wandering around aircraft at all hours. . .
* Cracked undercarrage strut (Viscount 747)
* Cracked flap extension bracket (Viscount 832)
* Leaking prop seals (Viscount 720, and there-in lies another story)
* Broken tie bolt head within a 737-200 JT8D-whichever version it was.
(I used to flick the fan over as I walked past, to check out the intake fan blades for damage - and as I walked away the broken bolt head started to fall into and around the blade roots. Sounded like a roulette wheel. Caused a tiny bit consternation at the time (engine change-no spares), and totally fouled up of my illicit meeting in another city. (Sigh.)
* Broken rear support bolt on the port JT8D of a DC9 (it was hanging down just a tiny bit.)
* Bent engine mount on an F-27 (ditto)
. . and 'playing' in a new 737 on an extended turn round, prior to a sim session next day, discovered that a certain manufacture was not wiring up the emergency bus properly - 3 out of our 12 so affected - like, no-workie.
I'm not trying to big-note, just pointing out that the hangar floor people are always, and have always been, under aweful pressure to get that thing on line in the morning, and so sometimes miss the big picture items. As I always miss the more important small picture items - what do you mean? My oil needs changing? It's only a little bit black? And black is the new black, isn't it?
And to any freeking non-aviation type out there - Pur-leaze! An aeroplane is just another mechanical device, just like your car, If you looked after you car as well as aviation types look after 'their' loved planes, it would last forever, and you would never kill anyone because something broke.
Ah dear.
I really shouldn't past late at night, should I!