Aero-Tips!
A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard
this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer
statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.") It's part of what makes aviation
so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it
all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.
Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner,
master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators, and as
representatives of the flying community. Some of them, you may have
heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we
might never have considered before, or something that didn't
"stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for
the practical test.
It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers
become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our
ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those
strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow
them to soar magnificently through it.
Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you
through the Aero-News Network. Suggestions for future Aero-Tips are
always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips.
Remember... when it comes to being good pilots, we're all in this
together.
Aero-Tips 03.09.06
If you own an airplane
(or manage one for somebody else), you have to deal with
maintenance and repairs. That means picking the plane up
after work or inspections.
My most common frustration when accepting
post-maintenance/inspection airplanes has been incomplete
documentation. "The job’s not done 'til the paperwork’s
done" is not a cliché, it’s the law when talking about
certified airplanes. All work must include a permanent logbook
entry and a written return to service. Violations could have severe
regulatory and, if something goes wrong, insurance
implications.
NOTE: An FBO’s assurance that a logbook sticker is "in the
mail" may not satisfy the FAA requirement for logbook entries to be
complete before the airplane flies. This means you need to take the
logbooks with you when you pick up the airplane, if you
didn’t have them when you left the plane at the shop.
FAR 91.407 tells us plainly what it takes (my emphasis
added):
§ 91.407 Operation after maintenance, preventive
maintenance, rebuilding, or alteration.
(a) No person may operate any aircraft that has undergone
maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, or alteration
unless --
(1) It has been approved for return to service by a person
authorized under §43.7 of this chapter; and
(2) The maintenance record entry required by §43.9 or
§43.11, as applicable, of this chapter has been made.
(b) No person may carry any person (other than crewmembers) in an
aircraft that has been maintained, rebuilt, or altered in a manner
that may have appreciably changed its flight characteristics or
substantially affected its operation in flight until an
appropriately rated pilot with at least a private pilot certificate
flies the aircraft, makes an operational check of the maintenance
performed or alteration made, and logs the flight in the aircraft
records.
(c) The aircraft does not have to be flown as required by paragraph
(b) of this section if, prior to flight, ground tests, inspection,
or both show conclusively that the maintenance, preventive
maintenance, rebuilding, or alteration has not appreciably changed
the flight characteristics or substantially affected the flight
operation of the aircraft.
Aero-tip of the day: Make logbooks available to
mechanics that perform or supervise work on your airplane. Bring
logs along on trip in case you need work away from home (you may
wish to keep a copy of the logs at home just in case). Insist that
all log entries be complete before you fly.