Post-Maintenance Preflight Tips

brakes and control locks for example. But after mechanics have been pawing around in it

Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots are ultimately responsible for aircraft airworthiness, requiring a significantly more detailed preflight inspection after any maintenance due to the elevated risk of safety-of-flight issues.
Before flying, thoroughly review maintenance records to understand the work performed, then meticulously inspect all affected systems (e.g., flight controls, fuel, hydraulics, electrical, seats) during preflight and engine run-up.
Treat the initial flight post-maintenance as a cautious operational check, ideally in good VFR conditions, to verify normal aircraft behavior, demanding constant vigilance on instruments, controls, and sounds, followed by a post-flight inspection.

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When discussing preflight inspections, I sometimes hear pilots remark, “I don’t know what I am looking for.” That’s unfortunate, because the pilot is the final authority regarding the aircraft’s airworthiness. As a pilot, you have the responsibility to accept the aircraft as-is and be on your merry way or reject it as unsuitable if something isn’t right. Since it’s up to you to determine if something isn’t right, you probably should at least know a few things to look for.