Went to fly a club R-22 at the weekend....the first thing I did was check the engine oil...Im so glad I did!..
There was just under 1 quart of oil left in the engine and it was a nice black treacle colour...
I could quite easily have refilled the engine and flown off, but im just not happy with the fact that the engine could have overheater and been under lubricated....So I refused the aicraft right out!
The thing that really winds me up is that these aircraft are used pretty much every day for short training flights, I believe the minimum oil capacity for flight is 4 Quarts? (Having a blonde moment...the exact figure is writen on my kneeboard).....So the previous PIC obviously had not topped up the oil before his flight, infact, he proberably didnt even check it, otherwise it would not have been so low when I went to fly the thing....
On principle I make sure that the aircraft is always FULL of engine oil before I lift....It seems like good practice...so why cant the other, perhaps more experienced pilots do the same.......
