Aircraft tires are critically different from automobile tires, requiring diligent preflight inspections for damage and proper inflation (found in the POH), and pilots must consult experienced mechanics for any unusual findings.
Prioritizing safety, any discovered tire damage or abnormality, such as the scalloped wear mentioned, necessitates a "no-go" decision until inspected and cleared by qualified personnel.
Aircraft tire maintenance, including changing or inflating, is a complex process demanding specific tools, techniques, and often the guidance of an A&P, with common issues like flat spots requiring careful attention and verification of repairs.
This is not what a CFI wants to hear when the learner is doing the preflight inspection. The learner was looking at the nosewheel of the Cessna 150, specifically, at a scalloped pattern on the side of the tire. She’d never seen this before—and frankly, in my more than 30 years of flying, neither had I. But I knew ugly when I saw it.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
