Help - Bumfitch???
 

Can anyone help me.??

I have forgotten what the above acronym stands for and have probably spelt it wrong anyway. You know, brakes, undercarriage etc etc.

Want to put it on my printed log that I wrote in MS word along with the FREDA check.

Thanks in advance.

BUMFITCH
 

Brakes
Undercarriage
Mixture
Fuel (Pump)
Instruments (Is QFE dialled in?)
T's & P's
Carb heat on
Harnesses & Hatches
(Carb Heat Off)

That's mine anyway.

B- Brakes Off
U- Undercarriage Down and locked
M- Mixture Rich
P-Pitch Fine
F- Fuel Sufficient ( Pump On)
I- Instruments /Green - good
C- Carb Heat On
H- Harness and Hatches secure.

I think that is correct but its a while since I used it al my flying is rotary now!

Hi...
I was taught it slightly differently but sounding the same....
B=Brakes (Off)
U=Undercarriage (Down and/or welded)
M=Mixture (Rich)
P=Prop (Fully fine)
F=Fuel (On & sufficient for go-around)
I=Instruments (Engine instruments in the green & QFE/QNH set)
C=Carb heat
H=Harness (secure)
H=Hatches (Secure & Windows closed)

All the best.

Spiney

Is this a record for the maximum number of simultaneous posts????

Slightly adapted for personal use but I use :

B-brakes - feet clear
U-undercarriage- down, locked, 3 greens
M-mixture- full rich
P-prop- fully forward, pump on
F-flaps- as required
I- instruments, QFE set, T&Ps etc
L- landing light on
C- carb heat on
C-clearance received
H- harness tight

Hey thanks loads for the quick responses. Have an IMC lesson tonight so will be used for sure. Guess I will toss the answers all into a hat and see which one comes out.

Thanks again!

buzzc152.. soon as I saw your post I realised I'd forgotten the second F for flaps, that's the penalty of flying an aeroplane without any!

D'oh
Spiney

Just as an extra point, the B(brakes) should ensure that the parking brake is off (you cant tell if the parking brake is on in C150/2 for example) and your feet are clear of the pedals...

Interesting how many slight variations there seem to be!

The one I use is on the downwind leg and is:

Brakes - Off
Undercarriage - Down & Locked
Mixture - Set to rich
Prop. Pitch - Set (for cruise i.e. not fine - yet!)
Fuel - Sufficient
Instruments - Set & T's & P's in the green
Carb Heat - On
Hatches & Harnesses - secure

This is followed on finals by CRAPP checks:

Carb Heat - Off
Runway - Check clear
Approach - Good/Corrections required/Go arround!
Prop. Pitch - Set to fine
Permission - Received/Not required

Works for me! :D

If you do your bumffich check on downwind, doesn't that mean that you will fine the props a bit early. I was taught to do the props, gear and flaps as you turn base.

So for me it is
Brakes
Undercarriage
Mixture
Fuel on, pumps on,
Flaps (1st stage on PA28, PA44
Instruments (DI alignment, altimeter)
Carb heat check
Hatches and harness secure

On finals it's

Reds (mixtures rich)
Blues (Props fine)
3 greens (Gear down)

AP

I often wondered about the Brakes Off thingy. Does anyone actually put brakes on after takeoff? :confused:

B read
U nions
M ussels
F ish
F ingers
I ce
C ream
H alva


Yum !

You never know...

That's what checklists are for!

Sometimes passengers fiddle or knock switches, anyway, isn't it just worth checking?

Phuff - :D

Mariner9 - no, I don't put the breaks on. At least not deliberately! But my feet might have strayed to the pedals. Or I might have lost break fluid, in which case if I press the pedals they'll feel soft, and I can divert to a field with a longer runway, declare a Pan and have the emergency services waiting for me. Or the breaks might have become jammed on, in which case I might prefer to divert to a field with a more into-wind runway, and again declare a Pan. So many possibilities.....

Parris asked: "If you do your bumffich check on downwind, doesn't that mean that you will fine the props a bit early." Everyone has their own slightly different way of doing things. My BUMFICHH checks don't include flaps or props - I get most of the checks out of the way on downwind to leave me to fly the 'plane in the later stages. Flaps depend very much on the approach - if I'm high, they come down early - as well as on the aircraft type. Prop - I've only ever flown constant-speed props in the US, and I was taught to go to full fine on base (as part of the GUMP check, in fact). I think most UK instructors prefer full fine on final because we have a much bigger noise issue than the US.

Interesting almost-related question: you're flying into a field with ATC, and you're cleared to join on base leg (or final). How do you judge where to do your BUMFICHH checks???

FFF
------------------

I was always taught to touch the break peddles on climb out, something which became a mantra when flying a retractable

FFF - It's a bit like doing procedural / straight in joins - just try to get them done at a point when cockpit workload permits!

I was only taught the CRAP checks about 2.5 yrs ago when an instructor checking me out in the Warrior at Fife expressed surprise that I didn't do them!

Still, having been taught in Canada to put carb heat on on downwind and leave it on until landed (with carb heat cold being part of the go around / clear runway checks), my checks still seem to be an eerie hybrid of all the ways I've previously been taught.
;)

FFF asks:

I (am learning to) fly at Southampton, and often am told to join onto a base leg: in fact very rarely do I get to do downwind unless in a circuit. Anyway, I (we) do the prelanding checks once I've entered the zone and been told to join (and report) on a base leg . Usually while descending from clearance altitude (below 1500 on QNH) to circuit (1000 on QFE) just to add to my workload. There is enough time there, as the zone is quite large (5 nm radius if memory serves). Dunno what you do in a smaller zone: panic I suppose, or do the checks before getting there?

RR

Down wind checks.

No, no, no! :ugh:


Enter downwind. When abeam upwind threshold, CARB HEAT ON and call downwind.

Now do:

B - brakes off (park and toe)
U - undercarriage down (fixed)
M - mix rich

LOOKOUT around, esp for traffic joining downwind and base

I - instrument check, inc. Ts and Ps
F - check fuel contents and fuel pump ON
F - flaps inboard

LOOKOUT

H - harnesses SECURE
H - hatches SECURE

Carb heat OFF


This has two distinct advantages over the horrible BUMFITCH check.

Firstly. the carb heat is applied for most of the length of the downwind leg, thus melting ice and is good for when you come to fly types that like to ice up, e.g. Warrior/Super Cub 150.

Secondly, the student is taught methodically to LOOK OUT of the window for traffic whilst doing the checks and co-ordinate accordingly.

HTH.

Parris50

"If you do your bumffich check on downwind, doesn't that mean that you will fine the props a bit early. "

No, the check is that the pitch is set for cruise on downwind, not fully fine. Setting to fine is part of the CRAPP checks I listed.

BlueRobin

I'm speaking as a low hour student who has only just soloed in the last few weeks, so I can only relate what my instructor has taught me to your advice.
(I would not profess to know better than you and I suspect you are far more experienced than I, so no disrespect intended! :ok: )

I've been taught to carry out the BUMPFICH checks late downwind. The carb heat is set on and importantly, left on until approx 300-400ft on finals to ensure no carb icing during the base leg and early part of finals, when low power settings are the norm.

If I was to take the carb heat off any sooner my instructor would beat me about the head with his kneeboard!! :hmm:

murphy1901.
I'd agree with you pretty much. I think the thing about the pitch setting is, to some extent determined by the aircraft you're flying at the time. If you've got a high cruising speed, lets say like a Mooney, then to integrate with a circuit full of C152/PA38's then you want to get things set up earlier and certainly not be in cruise settings downwind. Also, how soon you get set up for the approach may be determined by your aircraft having a high cruise and a low flap limiting speed. I'll stand by to be shot down now cos it's been a long while since I flew a wobbly prop aeroplane and my memory of what my instructor told me at the time is pretty faded! This is were your opinions are more valid than many of us that probably have more hours as what you've been told is fresh.

Spiney