Wheel Chock Jumping 101

When you’re not looking, line personnel may secure your airplane for you. Try as you might, it’s not likely you can jump that chock.

Editorial Staff

Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots can easily overlook pre-flight checks for tiedowns or chocks, particularly if the aircraft's state has been altered by others in their absence.
The article illustrates this common oversight through two incidents, one involving an FBO manager and another involving the author, where engines were started while the aircraft was still secured.
To prevent such mistakes, the author now advocates for taking a crucial "last look" at the aircraft from a few feet away before climbing in.
This practice helps identify forgotten securing devices and other potential issues, significantly improving pre-flight safety and preventing embarrassing or damaging errors.

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As both a line person and private pilot, I’ve seen a good share of the tricks people try to pull on the ramp when they fail to free their airplane from its tiedown or chocks before starting an engine. One common factor is they think no one is watching.

My first example came when I was working the line at the local airport. The FBO had recently changed hands, and was now operated by the same outfit running another small airport about 20 miles up the road. Naturally, management of both facilities “commuted” between them by air.