Just Out Of Annual

Wisdom in aviation, if there is such a thing, seems to be the sum total of bad experiences, hangar flying lies, magazine articles and direct advice from various characters who may or may not fit the description of "mentor." At some point in my flying career, one of these old salts advised me to be wary of flying an airplane freshly out of annual. "It probably worked okay when you brought it in, but it probably wont when you get it back," he used to say. I took the advice to heart, so my standard procedure in doing the first pre-flight after annual was to uncowl the airplane and have a good, long look at the engine room and at the airframe in general. I once found an unsafetied oil filter-no big deal, really, but satisfying to have detected and drawn it to an embarrassed mechanics attention. When I got busy instructing, I waxed and waned on this inspection habit. Sometimes Id do it and then, well, Id get in a hurry and not bother. After all, I really hadnt found that much before, so how much risk could there possibly be in skipping the check?

Key Takeaways:

• An aviation adage warns pilots to be cautious of flying an aircraft immediately after its annual inspection due to the risk of issues introduced during maintenance.
• The author, who previously followed this advice by conducting thorough post-annual inspections, eventually became complacent and sometimes skipped this vital check.
• This complacency led to an incident where wire cutters fell from behind the instrument panel during engine start on a post-annual flight, revealing an incomplete wiring job for the turn coordinator.
• The experience reinforced the critical importance of always performing a meticulous pre-flight inspection, especially after an aircraft has undergone annual maintenance.

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