Relationship rule number one: Be nice to a woman and she will be nice to you. Rule number two: If you become aware that you have hurt a woman’s feelings in any way, either intentionally or unintentionally, immediately stop the offensive action and do whatever it takes to get back in her good graces. A happy woman will bring more joy into your life than you ever thought possible. But, treat a woman badly and heaven help you.
And so it is with the relationship between you and your airplane. You contribute fuel and oil and a certain amount of tender loving care and your airplane will, in turn, provide you with hours of unparalleled enjoyment. If, however, you harm your airplane in any way, it will not hesitate to let you know in a troublesome and sometimes obnoxious manner.
So why is it that we, who love our airplanes so much, sometimes manage to make destructive mistakes that cause our winged friends harm? Even when we have enough knowledge and experience to know the things that can result in expensive bills from the maintenance shop, sometimes we are too busy or distracted to care. Take heed and read on for the top-10 list of costly mistakes to avoid when handling your favorite airplane.
1. Bald-spotting tires: Tires with a bald, flat spot are bad for several reasons. First, the flat spot on the tire makes for a less-than-smooth ride during taxi and after landing. Second, a bald spot is a weak spot, one that’s more likely to contribute to a tire blow-out should your landing be less than perfect. To avoid causing this kind of damage to your aircraft tires, wait until the airplane has slowed significantly after landing before applying the brakes. In most cases, the runway is plenty long enough that aerodynamic braking will suffice (pulling back on the control wheel to raise the elevator into the wind) until you have slowed the airplane enough to gently apply the brakes, bringing the airplane to a safe taxi speed for exiting the runway. Poor parking technique is another cause of excessive tire wear. If you are not able to pull straight into a parking spot, but instead must stop the airplane and push it in tail first, do not apply brakes on one side and use engine power to turn the airplane into a better position for parking. Instead, pull perpendicular to your tie-down spot, then turn off the engine, and get out. The airplane can then easily be maneuvered with one or two pilots willing to exert a little elbow grease to manually push the airplane into the spot.
2. Circuit breaker reset: If a circuit breaker pops out in flight, there is usually a good reason. One electrical component is getting too much power or becoming too hot. Continuing to reset the circuit breaker could cause damage to the electrical component or possibly a fire. So, whenever possible, avoid resetting circuit breakers in flight. Make do without the affected electrical component until your mechanic can take a look under the cowling to assess the damage.
3. Exceeding limitations: Of course, no wise pilot would ever intentionally exceed published aircraft limitations. However, there are certain sentences in the pilot operating handbook that sometimes get ignored in the interest of getting the airplane on the ground. For example, some manufacturers recommend avoiding slips with full flaps, especially on older models with more than 30 degrees of flap setting. Flaps and gear also have a published extension and sometimes retraction speed. Pay attention to these numbers to avoid putting unnecessary stress on flap and gear motors. Most airspeed indicators are also color-coded with a yellow arc for smooth air only. Continually ignoring this limitation can, over time, cause structural damage to your aircraft. And nobody wants to be in the air when that happens.
4. Rough terrain runup: Whenever possible, plan your engine run-up for a relatively smooth paved area, free of debris. Flying gravel and propellers do not mix. There are only so many times a propeller can be filed free of nicks before structural integrity is compromised and you must purchase a new one.
5. Abrupt power aplications or reduction: It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that abruptly increasing the throttle to full or pulling it in the opposite direction to idle cannot be good for all the moving parts that make up your engine. Rapidly reducing the throttle has been proven to cause everything from stuck valves to cracked cylinder heads. While the notion of “shock cooling” is still under debate, it would certainly make sense that aggressively handling the throttle could cause engine damage over a period of time. So, plan your descents accordingly and ease the throttle forward for takeoff.
6. Poor cold weather operation: Airplanes just don’t like the cold. Engines don’t start easily. Avionics systems act funny. Parts that are meant to move, such as trim cables and flap actuators, are sometimes frozen in place. Whenever possible, get your airplane some hangar time before departure so that ice can melt and engine components can have a chance to warm up before startup. If a hangar is not available, it may still be possible to get your engine preheated so that the oil can thin out and move freely to help lubricate those rapidly heated engine parts. If you have to use a deice fluid to remove frost from control surfaces, make sure it is approved for your aircraft and note the specific surfaces for which it is approved. Failure to do so may cause damage to aircraft paint or, more commonly, the windscreen.
7. Overworking the starter: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. Why then do we repeatedly crank the starter without doing something different between starting attempts? Have you primed the engine enough or perhaps too much? If fuel is pouring out of the underbelly of your engine, consider waiting several minutes before cranking again. Pay particular attention to starter duty cycles listed in your POH, which limit the amount of time you can crank an engine continuously without taking a break. On most airplanes, this is no longer than a few seconds. Starters are a commonly replaced part on aircraft, but they are not cheap. Save yourself some money and the possibility of getting stranded somewhere by taking it easy on this particular piece of equipment.
8. Riding the brakes: Taxiing at high power settings while also keeping your feet on the brakes to slow down simply doesn’t make sense. It causes unnecessary wear on the brake pads and could damage rotors if the pads are already compromised. Slow down using the throttle and, when necessary, use the brakes to further reduce taxi speed or make a tight turn.
9. Improper management of the electrical system: The electrical components on most aircraft must be handled with a particular amount of care. Remember to ensure that all avionics are off before starting up or shutting down the engine. Failure to do so could result in damage to expensive avionics equipment during the power surges that occasionally accompany this phase of flight. If you have to use an external power source to start the engine, pay attention to the voltage of the power cart to be sure it jives with your airplane. Overcharging your battery could leave you buying a new one before getting off the ground.
10. Poor landing technique: No matter how much experience you gain, not all of your landings will be perfect. And although landing gear is made to take a beating, even the most well-built aircraft can only take so much abuse. High sink rates accompanied by a three-point landing have been known to cause bending or cracking of the landing gear structure. In fact, I once found myself buying a new airplane when a solo student’s nose-first landing ripped the nosegear off and cracked the firewall before coming to an abrupt stop on the runway. Poor cross-wind technique can also put excessive side loads on gear that was only designed to be landed straight ahead. If you find yourself in a landing situation that could turn out to be more than the airplane can handle, simply do a go-around until you get it right.
When handling your favorite airplane, use some common sense and treat it as gently as possible to avoid unnecessary wear and tear. Always pay special attention to placards and published limitations. And remember, be nice to your airplane and it will be nice to you.
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