Is My Aircraft Right for Flight?

The Importance of Preflight Prep

7 min readNov 6, 2024

By Jennifer Caron, FAA Safety Briefing Magazine

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the Jan/Feb 2017 issue of FAA Safety Briefing and was updated for this issue.

What’s that weird noise? I think to myself as I prepare for departure. I just finished my run-up, ready for take-off, and there it is again — that deep knocking sound — three times now — “knock, knock, knock.” But I just shut this airplane down 30 minutes ago — quick stopover, I needed a break. Now I’m running late, so I skipped the preflight check completely. But I always do a full run-up on every start-up, so it should be good to go without a preflight check, right?

Don’t leave anything to chance. In 2017, when this article was first published, 384 people died in 238 general aviation accidents. In 2022, 358 people died in 222 general aviation accidents. As you can see, the numbers have not changed much over the years. Powerplant system and component failure was the third most common event for fatal accidents, and maintenance errors were not to blame. Inadequate preflight preparation was cited as a contributing factor in many of these accidents.

“A” in PAVE

Preflight preparation of your aircraft is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure that your aircraft is fit for flight. It is a critical function of the “A” in the personal minimums PAVE checklist of Pilot, Aircraft, EnVironment, and External Pressures. It is one of the tools pilots use to assess the risk of a flight by evaluating the presence of risk factors in each of these four areas.

The PAVE checklist works like any checklist you would use in your aircraft. You should expand its use to your flight planning as well and consider each line item carefully before making your final decision to fly.

To help with the “A” in PAVE, I’ve highlighted some simple steps you can take to evaluate your aircraft prior to takeoff.

Step 1 — Is it Airworthy? 🛩️ To be airworthy and safe to fly, the aircraft must meet two primary conditions. First, it must conform to a type design. Second, it must be in a condition for safe flight.

Type Design

An aircraft must conform to its type design, which includes not only its equipment but also documented compliance with all required maintenance inspections. The type certificate data sheet (TCDS) for the aircraft provides a formal description of the aircraft, engine, or propeller, along with limitations and information on items such as airspeed, weight, and performance limits.

Condition for Safe Flight

To be in a condition for safe flight, all required and installed equipment must be in good working condition. Any repairs and modifications must be correctly documented. Your aircraft needs an FAA Form 337 any time it has undergone a major repair or major alteration, as any changes to type design require approval through a supplemental type certificate (STC) that documents the FAA’s approval of a product (aircraft, engine, or propeller) modification.

Additionally, your aircraft must meet the requirements of certain inspection cycles. You should be able to find aircraft maintenance log entries for completion of the annual or (if applicable) 100-hour inspection, which includes verification of any applicable airworthiness directives and any required equipment checks (e.g., the VOR and altimeter/pitot-static system, the transponder, and the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) battery strength). If you are flying a rented aircraft, always remember to note when the next inspection is due. For instance, are you planning a six-hour flight on an aircraft that only has three more hours until its 100-hour inspection is due? Ensuring that flight duration will not exceed the next aircraft inspection is part of the preflight for rental aircraft.

Photo of a pilot in the right seat of a small airplane on the ground.

After maintenance, check systems thoroughly, or ask qualified maintenance personnel to help re-inspect the aircraft to ensure all systems are a go.

Step 2 — Is it My Type? 🛩️ Know your experience level flying that particular aircraft type and your aircraft’s performance abilities and limitations.

Step 3 — Gas in the Tank? 🛩️ Know your fuel reserves.

Step 4 — Checklist Checked? 🛩️ Preflight checklists are your friends — use them! It is important for you, as a safety-minded pilot, to make use of a physical preflight checklist. Never work from memory. In this way, you can ensure that you do not skip or misevaluate the items you are checking. Always exit the aircraft and move around it methodically, avoiding interruptions and distractions during your external inspection.

Go one step beyond the official checklist items and develop an additional items checklist to be used in conjunction with the aircraft’s preflight checklist. Take a look at the FAA Safety Team’s (FAASTeam) advanced preflight pamphlet (PDF download) for guidance on developing an additional items checklist to add to your preflight arsenal.

Bring Your “A” Game

Another way to check your “A”ircraft, and to proactively assess risk for a given flight, is with a Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT). A FRAT helps pilots make better go/no-go decisions by asking a series of questions that generally follow the PAVE checklist. There is an abundance of FRAT options to choose from, they are simple to use, and many are available as apps on your smartphone or tablet. Check out “Introduction to Safety Risk Management” — the January 2023 Fly Safe GA Safety Enhancement Topic.

Introduction to Safety Risk Management

#FlySafe GA Safety Enhancement Topic

medium.com

Remember This

With safety in mind, following proper preflight procedures plays a critical role in ensuring the airworthiness of your aircraft prior to takeoff. The steps you take before your aircraft leaves the ground will pay huge dividends towards your piece of mind while in the air.

And that weird knocking sound we heard earlier? Well, that was just your aircraft reminding you to do a thorough preflight check. Fly safe!

Perfect Your Preflight

Advanced preflight is a practice that helps aircraft owners and pilots become more aware of all the safety-related data pertaining to their aircraft. In addition to using the preflight checklist, it focuses on being more cognizant of who maintains your aircraft and how to apply a detailed approach to your preflight inspection based on a review of the aircraft’s maintenance history. Knowledge of your aircraft’s history, its systems and components, and its propensity for possible failures is the foundation for this. To build on this foundation, it’s crucial to get to know your aviation maintenance technician (AMT). Building a relationship with your AMT will help you do more than just learn about your aircraft. It will also help you feel more comfortable asking questions that help you know your AMT is qualified and has the proper experience, and pointing out items you are unsure of or need corrective action.

Equipped with better knowledge of your aircraft and who is maintaining it, you’re ready for the practical application of an advanced preflight: the walk-around inspection, which is likely your last chance to determine the safe operational condition before a flight. When conducting your inspection, assume that there is something wrong, even if you used the best mechanic. Here are some important ways to perfect your preflight:

Start your inspection with the manufacturer’s checklist if available. This should form the basis of your preflight inspection, but don’t limit yourself to it. Every aircraft is unique, so your checklist should be too.
Get to know your checklist. Figure out not just what it asks you to “check” but also how you should “check” it. Sometimes, this involves interpreting visual, aural, and tactile cues, looking for cracks, feeling for looseness or binding, or listing for abnormal sounds.
Using all your senses and a notepad, write down anything that isn’t right. Step back 10 to 15 feet and see if anything looks out of place. Be prepared to abort takeoff if something goes wrong or doesn’t feel right.

Take the time to perfect your preflight. Enhancing your relationship with your aircraft’s history and your mechanic are both critical components of an advanced preflight and can make the difference between a safe flight and your last flight.