Do they still teach walk arounds?

[Slick Goodlin]

I lost faith when a company I worked for had to change the start checklists to begin with LOGBOOK - ON BOARD. It’s not just a logbook but a clipboard box that has your OFP, weight and balance, weather, notams, contact numbers, fuel card, some other paperwork, and the journey log.

Not because they were getting left on FBO desks, which is embarrassing, but because they were being set on various parts of the exterior of the airplane and blowing off during takeoff. Nothing like a half pound of paperwork being scattered down a quarter mile of gravel in whatever Animal-Water place you just departed...

[Liquid_Charlie]

Walk arounds are a strange beast. Flying school graduates practically rebuild the aircraft and use a magnifying glass approach. I assume if they fall into the general aviation group this continues on and home builders as well. Once in the commercial group this changes a lot.

I remember that we never did the walk around at all, just checked fluids and did an outside general visual while pumping floats, walk a rounds would get you pretty wet -- LMFAOOoo and then on skis, again fluids, wings and general exterior scan from a distance. One got very use to looking at the aircraft as approaching and this carried on with me to the end of my career. The main points were dings and holes. We never check fuel sumps in the winter.

We never tied much down, maybe an extra wing rope, on floats over the dock, if it were windy but on skis, even a cub was rarely tied down, possible a cpl 45 gal barrel under the wings on the cub but 180 and above I can count it on one hand. We trusted the hinge points and such to be monitored by the engineer. We just made sure the aircraft had everything attached and engine had oil.

I have a pretty funny story about getting caught with your pants down. I was in Pickle Lake and over nighting in the spring on the ice. There were 6 DC-3's parked, 5 freighters and me there for a passenger charter overnight. Temps were going to just below freezing at night. Since I was the visitor I was parked away from the main group. I shutdown and went back after a little cooling to squirt a little dilution and after that walked away. We did not cover anything and no engine boards. It was a beautiful calm night so I just left it and did not expect to have to preheat since it was pretty warm. I went to the bar -- haha and stayed for a little while. I then went to check into my room at the hotel and door was locked and no one around -- damn, I walked back to the aircraft and crawled into my 5 star. Had a good sleep and was woken up to the rumble of 5 dc3's warming up -- hey I should do the same thing before I went in for bfast. It was a beautiful thing, I started the #2 engine, counting blades from the left seat and it was ticking over at abor 400 rpm so start#1, I lookout the window and notice a power cord and it's going under the aircraft, I jump over and look out the f/o window -- damn - some keen engineer had dropped a car warmer in the engines and put boards on. Engine running and there it was, cord into the engine cowl and a board. I cut the mixture and of course gingerly did a visual, nothing touched and all good. I crept out of the aircraft, removed the warmers and boards and ran the aircraft. Moral of the story, check in at the hotel first --

[Scudrunner]

I was always taught your walk around begins when you are walking out to the plane to do a more detailed inspection. You start to engage your Pielot brain while strolling out with a cup of Coffee

Why is the rudder off to one side? someone didn't set the control locks - noted look more into such
whats that spot on the tarmac here or there?
Planes, sitting a little more on it's right?, oleo low or too much fuel on that side...

Dusting of snow on the wing, check out the sunnyside fan blades closer did they get warm in the sun and are frozen to the inlet.
etc etc

Then you do your walk around and give extra attention to the things you may have noted.

But what do I know, just an internet troll.

[Colonel]

I got repeatedly shat upon from a great height, because I mentioned
that your walkaround depends.

If the aircraft was flying 5 minutes ago by you and has not left your
sight in that time, a very different walkaround is required compared
to an aircraft that has been sitting in a field for 11 months since it's
last annual. The battery is dead and has cracked and leaked acid, it's
full of bird's nests and the tires and oleos are all flat.

But hey, TC says that since they are both "legal" to fly, they
require the same walkaround and I have a BAD ATTITUDE if I teach
that your walkaround depends.

Really getting tired of that bullshit.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

One of the most interesting things I found on a walkaround was all the cowling fasteners on the left engine of a Navajo were in the open position.

Then like the Colonel what would I know about having accidents, having never had one.

[Scudrunner]

Found a rag in the inlet of the engine on the learjet the cleaning crew left.

That could have been fun.