Safety is the most important part of air travel, and a maintenance checklist can help you establish and keep track of the protocols that work best. In this post, we’ll look at what should be on your aircraft maintenance checklist so that safety can be assured before takeoff. Here are six steps you must check off prior to leaving the ground.
1. Review the Plane’s Records
Before performing any maintenance on a plane or checking whether it’s safe for takeoff, you need to inspect its pre-flight checklist. Every plane has one, and it details the aircraft’s most up-to-date history, including service and maintenance records, inspections, repairs, replacement parts and the hours of flight time it’s had. Knowing the aircraft’s number of hours flown helps you determine whether its maintenance is up-to-date. If it’s been late for preventative maintenance several times, you may want to check the aircraft extra carefully.
2. Inspect Tire Pressure
Since tires are only used during takeoff and landing, it’s tempting to skip doing maintenance on them. However, checking their tire pressure and inflating them if needed is essential to safety, as the plane can become unstable without tire balance and the tires can even overheat. According to Boeing, it’s important to have tire checks serviced, because too much air pressure when inflating the tires can cause a hazardous explosion.
3. Check the Fuel Tank
You never want to take flight without checking that your tank is fully topped with fuel. While it may seem obvious, it should be on your aircraft maintenance checklist nonetheless. You should know ahead of time how much fuel your airplane will need in order to reach your destination, so ensure you have what it takes.
4. Inspect Seals and Grommets
Rubber seals and grommets used in aircrafts are made with durable, non-reactive, reliable materials that enable them to keep the aircraft safe around all the electrical connections, the engine and the fuel tank within the space. Without reliable o-rings and other seals made by high-quality manufacturers who understand aircraft safety, safe air travel wouldn’t be possible.
5. Inspect Mated Part Connections
You don’t want corrosion or rust getting the better of your part connections and electrical wiring. Be sure to inspect all mated part connections to check that they’re in good condition. Any tiny holes or cracks can result in openings that put the aircraft in danger.
6. Walk the Aircraft and Check for Problems
Walk the airplane and check for anything that looks “off” that may indicate damage. Inspect the plane’s fuel cap is fastened, brake fluids are sufficient but not leaking, the engine oil is filled and the ignition wires, fuel lines, and electrical connections are free of damage. Check the front of the plane and beneath it to ensure nothing is missing, leaking, or damaged. If you own a military or government-issued aircraft and you need new parts for it due to wear and tear, then you can read more here about procuring the right parts for your aircraft.
Ready for Takeoff
Before a plane can take off, it must be ensured that everything will remain safe from the moment of departure to the point of landing and taxiing. Aircraft maintenance requires having a safety checklist performed before a plane takes off, to avoid preventable safety hazards. Once you have a checklist, the process of maintaining an aircraft becomes routine. Following these steps can help ensure safety from takeoff to landing and increase the longevity of the plane.
