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

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Key Takeaways:

Pilots, including experienced ones, can mistakenly attempt to taxi an aircraft without first removing tiedowns or chocks, often due to an assumption the aircraft's state hasn't changed.
The author learned from both witnessing a manager's mistake and making a similar one himself, emphasizing the ease of overlooking such critical pre-flight checks.
To prevent these incidents, the author now performs a thorough "last look" from a few feet away before every flight, a practice he credits with catching potentially dangerous oversights.

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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.