C172 Preflight Walk About

[Caullystone]

Hi

This is not a wind up... I am here to learn...

Does anyone have a "movie" of a detailed C172 Preflight Check?

I want to make sure I dont miss anything important!

Thanks in Advance

[Fuji Abound]

Ohhhhh no - not preflight walk arounds AGAIN .. .. ..

it has to be a wind up?

We have done that - to death - it is only going to result in someone else leaving if we start again

Tell you what, try Flyer or PM Bose-X :}.

[SkyHawk-N]

I don't know of a movie but the POH (Section 4. Normal Procedures - Checklist Procedures - Preflight Inspection) details what you need to do.
On top of this look for missing screws, loose things (aerials, inspection covers, lights, etc), distortions in the panels and wings, control surfaces, IMPORTANT: balance weights on ailerons!, leaks from brakepipes, fuel caps secure after fuel checks, cracks in windscreen, tyre inflation, front strut inflation, etc. If you're near to Norfolk you are quite welcome to pop over and I'll take you through it all, but you probably aren't. I'm sure other 172 pilots on here would help you out if you are nearer to them.

[Slopey]

Check the supporting struts on the flaps - I believe (although anecdotal evidence 3rd hand only) that they're prone to hairline cracks if someone has the barn doors down and then tries to rip them off on a go-around/similar screw up.

[eharding]

By "Movie", I take it you mean a video of a walk round?

Actually, in a 172, it there would also be climbing as well as walking involved, but I can't help with the video, sorry.

[SNS3Guppy]

A good policy is to touch, feel, tug on, move, and test everything you come into contact with all the way around. Run your hands over the skin, feel the rivets, move the controls, check everything you can see...even if it's not on the checklist. The checklist is only there to help you get certain items...no law says you can't check more.

The flap cracks mentioned earlier occur in the trailing edge of the flap, and are the result of flaps being deployed above their speed limitations (Vfe).

If you find leaks, trace them back the way they came...fuel leaks up and forward, and oil, follow it back agaisnt the airflow. Where it appears to be leaking may not be the actual site...hydrulic fluid may appear near the tailcone, but it can only come from the brakes...trace it back to find out if you have a spillage from a careless mechanic, or an actualy brake leakage. Fuel under the cowl or fuel stains along the belly...if you have a stuck gascolator drain or one that's been drained to excess, that's one thing...but you don't want to make assumptions...a stuck carburetor float could cause you some serious problems...or a fuel leak elsewhere...find out what's causing it, if its new or old...same for oil.

Pay attention to tire pressure. Look at the nuts in the wheel assembly; the bolt may remain, but lookfor the nuts. If they're missing (and occasionally they are; fractured off, generally) you're looking at a wheel assembly failure. Check the cotter pin securing the castle nut on the axle; I knew one pilot that saw his wheel fall away just after takeoff in a 182. Look for play in the nosewheel scissor linkage.

Visually check your fuel. Tug on the wing struts. Shake the wings. Check your aileron counterbalances. Make sure your aileron movement corresponds to the control yoke movement; I found one rigged backward, once. Check the fuel drains once, then check them again, and make sure they shut off.

The 172 is a simple, easy to maintain, easy to fly airplane, but should be taken as seriously as a Learjet or a B737. After all, if you get killed in the 172, you're just slightly dead, right?

[Caullystone]

Thank you for your feedback...

I take preflight checks seriously and just wanted to find out if there was anything I was missing or was a common fault on the C172 but was not covered by the checklist