I got into a bad habit of not sumping my tanks every time I take off but after hearing some stories I am going to change my habits immediately. What other things do you guys check religiously before take off? Im on a 182. Any other checks particular to a 182 that I should make an every time check?

Fuel and Wx..........can't control a lack of either, can deal with the rest

TFR's

slowhawk wrote:TFR's

Don't know what TFR's are ..........Dogs are headed your way

mags..ensure they are not loose (amongst all the other typical checks) ..granted may be a bit harder on a 182

Check your logbook. If your transponder hasn't been inspected in the last 24 months, you can't turn it on.
Check your tail. If the plane is old enough, the numbers will only be a few inches high.

That takes care of the TFRs!

DonC wrote:

slowhawk wrote:TFR's

Don't know what TFR's are ..........

Wish i didn't either, but the pesky little critters are even popping up out here. i better be careful or i'll be on double-secret probation

Dogs are headed your way

Yeah man, Buser and Schnelle are already out of Nikolai, wait'n for Mackey to spring the trap (suspect they are too).

Chris

I preflight the sumps, oil, gas, tires, stall warning, the flaps, the rudder, the ailerons, the elevator, proper maps, sectionals, check with flight service for wx and TFR's, prop,and then I preflight the kidneys..now I'm ready to go.

Sounds like the 182 needs a good wing rock ahead of sumping.

Always, Always, Always check fuel for contaminants ! Year after year I went with no problems and one day I found enough to kill an engine! Picked up some bad fuel!
And Oil !

Fuel and oil will get you to your next problem! May be more manageable than lack of clean fuel and oil!

For a few years, I had my airplane tied down outside. One of the fuel caps or somewhere around the neck leaked a little, and I would always have somewhere between a few ounces and a pint of water in that tank depending on how much it had rained since the last time I flew. When it got below freezing, the drain valve on the side with the water would be frozen shut, which made me wonder how big of a blowtorch flame one should apply to make it unstick.

My final solution was to fill four gas jugs, put them in my house to get them up to room temperature, insulate them inside some cardboard boxes in the back of my pickup while I drove the hour to the airport, then dump two of them in each wing. Within a few minutes, I could then drain the sumps. Then, I'd run the engine for awhile, and then I could drain the few drops of water out of the sediment bowl. I'm curious how other people deal with frozen water in their fuel system other than a heated hangar.

ARROW, 2nd r stands for Refrigerator, No beer, no reward for good landing

kevbert wrote: I'm curious how other people deal with frozen water in their fuel system other than a heated hangar.

If it's below freezing, or recently been below freezing I won't touch the sumps. All you'll do is jam the valve open. Any water in the bottom of the tank is going to be frozen, and it's not going to go anywhere.

Gump

Every time the subject of pre flights come up, I realize the subject of POST flight inspections never comes up.

I spend more time doing close inspections after I fly then before, but in my defense, in between flights the plane is inside and secure, so that eliminates a few worries. I do always, both before and after, grab the exhaust pipe, prop hub, wings, and try to make them wiggle, I also check the belly for oil, isn't any ever, it's a Rotax! Seriously, post flight inspections are somewhat overlooked, I never hear anyone talk about them.

courierguy wrote:Every time the subject of pre flights come up, I realize the subject of POST flight inspections never comes up.

Amen.

Set trims back for take-off. Square away stuff used during the day. Do a visual as you pull on covers, set control locks, and plug heaters in, etc. It eliminates any surprises for your next day's flying. And, if you do find a problem it can be dealt with then, instead of when you're trying to get ready to fly.

I'm a fussy old fart, and I find it takes a good 15 to 20 minutes to get my airplane secured most nights. And always have been that way. I spend way more time on post flight than I do pre flight. Unless it's a strange airplane (strange as in new, not unusual).

Gump

Kinda related
Most do a mag check before they takeoff. My mechanic suggests doing one before landing. The mag probly won't develop a problem after landing. And if you are going into some remote strip and a mag shows bad, you can opt for going somewhere where it can be dealt with, rather than landing and finding a bad mag when you are getting ready to go, and wondering what will happen next.

I like the idea.

Gary

Fuel and Oil levels . Fuel with a dip stick -same for oil--- rest is on Post Flight after I get back from last mission.

I check gas and oil first. Then do a walk around the plane. If I will be coming back at night I check the landing lights but otherwise just the beacon and wing lights. Then a walk around and look for leaking brake lines or loose stuff and sump the tanks. Just takes a minute.

As for checking fuel after fill up, probably not a bad idea. Water actually separates fast. When you check for ethanol as soon as your done shaking up the tube, the water and fuel are separated. I had just cleaned the tanks on the 175 and the very first fill up there was a crap load of dirty water in it. Found out later that a pipe had broken underground on the airports tank and ground water was getting in the fuel.

GumpAir wrote:

kevbert wrote: I'm curious how other people deal with frozen water in their fuel system other than a heated hangar.

If it's below freezing, or recently been below freezing I won't touch the sumps. All you'll do is jam the valve open. Any water in the bottom of the tank is going to be frozen, and it's not going to go anywhere.

Gump

You're right, I did jam one open once! I had to push against it with the palm of my hand, alternating hands every 30 seconds, for several minutes until it thawed and popped back down. There was something about the icy cold fuel running the length of my forearm and dripping off of my elbow, coupled with the frost-biting nature of the fuel evaporating that really said I was an idiot.

So, then I listened to conventional wisdom and decided that the frozen water would stay frozen.

Then I flew one time from Sandpoint (a colder part of Idaho) to Lewiston (probably the hottest place in Idaho). The temp had gotten down in the mid 20s that night in Sandpoint, and it was into the mid to upper 30s by the time I took off. The sun melted the frost off of my wings, but the valve was still frozen shut. It was about 70 degrees when I arrived in Lewiston. I decided to try draining it when I got there, and took about a pint out of the wing. Then I looked at the sediment bowl by the engine, and it was over half full of water. So, that made me very nervous, and I started the warm fuel ritual.

Eventually, I did what I should have done in the first place. I replaced the fuel cap gaskets, even though they looked fine. That improved the problem quite a bit, but didn't totally fix it. I've since learned to stretch the gasket a little to look for cracks. Then, I talked to a good Cessna mechanic, and he put some sealer at a magic spot near the fuel neck, and the problem seemed to go away.