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:

• Pilots are advised to be particularly cautious when flying an aircraft freshly out of annual maintenance, as there is a risk of incomplete work or forgotten items.
• The author, after initially adhering to a thorough uncowled inspection ritual post-annual, grew complacent and sometimes skipped this critical check.
• A forgotten pair of wire cutters found in the cockpit during a pre-flight after an annual dramatically reinforced the importance of diligent post-maintenance inspections, highlighting a neglected wiring job.

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