Dear followers welcome back to my channel and to a great video about a common question
What and how do you perform an outside check. I'll take you around an entire
exterior walk-around of my former airplane the Airbus A320
So let's put on that high visibility vest and let's get started
I'm sure you might have experienced this once you were waiting at the gate prior to boarding you spot the pilot
walking around the aircraft and closely looking at the exterior of his aircraft. Now every pilot has to check if his aircraft-
helicopter/ glider/ little sports plane/ military or commercial jet
Hasn't encountered any damage from previous flights or shows any leakages
Aviators call this regular procedure- "The Outside Check" or the Exterior
Walk-around". After completing your first checks within the cockpit the last item on the preliminary cockpit preparation checklist
reads-
"Exterior walk-around-
Perform", so the aircraft manual lists the items, which should be inspected whilst doing your outside check.
But before you set off there are a few things you need to do before commencing that check-
Don't step out on the apron without a high visibility vest;
You'll be surprised how many accidents happen around airplanes.
So do yourself a favor and wear that vest. I don't care if it looks stupid,
but I want to see your look on your face if you have to pay the $300 fine. Wear ear protection
especially on passenger jets the air conditioning packs might be running whilst you perform your check and
they are so loud as if a fighter jet is taking off right next to you and
just a hint your hearing gets checked in every medical so wear ear plugs or ear muffs. During night operation bring a
powerful flashlight; DO NOT use your mobile phone. That's a complete joke, that light.
Also quite helpful is to turn on the wing light and logo light to check for any contamination on those surfaces and
before you set off
Set the parking brake in order to check the brake wear indicators on the main landing gear
But I'll come back to that in a minute
Okay, as you step out onto the jetway staircase
You can quickly spot if there's any snow resting on the wings upper surface
So you immediately want to inform airport authorities to sign you up for de-icing or otherwise
you're gonna have to wait at the end of the queue. And together even closer
look at the wing surface either look through one of the passenger windows or ask the
refueler
If you can use his staircase as in this picture
then start at the left of the forward fuselage. Check that the captain's angle of attack probe is damaged in any way and
Closely, look at the captain's and first officer's static port; make sure that they are clean of any debris
Make sure the avionics equipment
Inlet valve is not damaged or obstructed
I have seen pilots doing the walk around with an umbrella as their hair could get wet and ruined the next Instagram picture and
Then getting too close to the inlet the suction is so strong that it can easily
Destroy the umbrella and damage the inlet. What I'm trying to say here-
do not use an umbrella for external walk arounds walk towards the nose wheel check that the chocks are in place and the condition of
the tires. the wheels and the tires should have no cuts and cracks and ensure that the parking brake indicator light is
Illuminated showing that the parking brake is set. look for any hydraulic line leakages and that the nose gear safety pin is removed
If you forget that, the nose gear won't retract upon takeoff
Make sure that the takeoff and taxi lights such as the two smaller runway turn of lights below
Have no burnt out light bulbs or cracks then check for the green crew oxygen overboard
Discharge indicator disc. if it were missing
It indicates an overpressure in the system has been detected and then you want to call for maintenance
Walking towards the nose you check that both pitot tubes are clean and that they're removed before flight covers have been removed
also
The upper standby static port needs to be cleaned if the ground electrical power is connected
The Security strap must be hooked to prevent the plug from falling out and look for the condition of the total air temperature
Sensors and the DME 1 antenna that they are clean then go a few steps back to get a good look at their nose
Radim look for cracks bird strikes or lightning burn marks and check that the latches are securely
Fastened. This is also a good spot to get an overview of the slats on either wing for any recent bird strike
Check the second stand by static port and the first officers pitot probe. Check the condition of the avionics equipment
Ventilation air outlet valve if it's not closed as in this video there is a strong outflow of warm air
Which will ruin your hairdo if you pass it too closely
Further down check that the first officer and captain static ports are clean and their covers are removed and
Ensure that the first officers angle-of-attack probe is in good shape. Here, It's slightly hidden behind the open cargo door
So make sure to check again
Once it's closed. walk below the fuselage check that the ATC and the DME 2 antennas are okay
Such as the TCAS and the forward portable drain mask and marker antenna check the air conditioning pack
Inlet is free and not blocked by ground equipment. Look for any damages at the wing root and verify that the fuel level
Indicators are flushed with the wing and that there is no leak from the fuel water drain then walk across to engine number two
Give the fan a little spin and check for any
Unfamiliar sounds check that the fan blades aren't bent or cracked and that the spinner is mounted properly
Look for any blockages in the generator cooling inlet and engine anti-ice
outlet check for any missing panels on the engine pylon and then look into the bypass section of the engine to
spot any leakages around the reverser door actuators
And if any of the stator blades are loose
Also, you don't want to see any leakages or damages in the turbine outlet
Then walking to the right-hand wing leading edge check the condition of the slats
Make sure the refuel coupling filler cap is closed and verified that the fuel level
Indicators are flushed with the wing and that there is no leak from the fuel water drain valve
Verify that the surge tank air inlet is clear and that the overpressure disk isn't cracked or missing
Check that the navigation and strobe lights aren't damaged such as the wingtips and check if there are any static discharges
Broken or missing. From this angle?
You can quickly scan if any of the upper fuselage antennas are broken or missing now
the ailerons should be
Hanging down as there shouldn't be any hydraulic pressure and make sure that the flaps and control surfaces are in the correct position
And none of the flap tract fairings are damaged and flushed with the lower surface of the wing now
Let's look at the right landing gear and now check that none of the wheel nuts are missing
Make sure there aren't any deep cuts on the sidewalls and overall wear of the tires
And if so call maintenance and they'll change a tire within minutes
Look for any damages of the brake fan now here
I'm pointing out the brake wear indicators
I've mentioned before if any of the
Indicators are flushed with the guide call for maintenance and have the brakes swapped
It won't take them very long either. now check if any hydraulic lines are damaged or leaking if it doesn't look good call maintenance
Observe the landing gear main structure now
There are limits on how much the main strut can be compressed
Potentially indicating a hard landing. At the downward block Springs ensure that the safety pin is removed
Again, if you forget that you can't retract the gear upon takeoff
Therefore they come with a very large "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT" tag
Now make sure the landing light isn't broken or burned-out and that the air conditioning pack
Outlet is free then walk towards the VHF antenna and make sure it's attached properly enough
Is blocking the radio altimeter
transmitters and receivers
As you walk further back check the correct position of the outflow valve and the aft portable water drain mast
now you can often spot damages on the horizontal stabilizer and elevator as
minor stones and gravel can get picked up by the main landing gear and slam those against the lower surface
So make sure you don't spot any holes and cracks
again, check for the static discharges and if you have the time and the aft staircase is placed run up the staircase and get
an even better view of the horizontal and vertical
Stabilizer so monitor the vertical stabilizer, the fin and rudder, the APU Inlet and outlet,
the fire Extinguisher overpressure disc is in place and the rear navigation light for any
damages
Then slowly walk along the aft part of the fuselage as you can spot any tail strike mishaps or ripples on the outer skin
Indicating severe structural wear. when reaching the center fuselage ensure that all doors are closed and latched
Such as the ground hydraulic connection for blue and green door and the hydraulic reservoir filling door
make sure the air conditioning back Inlet door is free of obstructions and that the
anti-collision light isn't damaged then we'll examine the left landing gear as we did on the other side and
also the wings trailing and leading edge plus the second refuel coupling and
Engine number one and that the ram air turbine housing is properly closed now
I want to point out that we didn't have to check if all smaller panel doors were closed as sometimes either
Maintenance was performing some work or ground crew used the service panels for their operation
Because as we request pushback the pushback driver will perform another thorough
outside check after all ground crew and maintenance have removed their equipment and
He'll make sure that all panels and doors are securely closed and flush with the fuselage
Obviously if you're flying your little Cessna
That's your responsibility to look out for such panels. kind reminder make the fuel cap is securely fastened
Many flight students know what I'm talking about
and once you get back into the cockpit
continuing your preparations you write down the time you started and ended the check plus your
Signature into the technical flight log to approve that you have completed the outside check
Important: This is NOT a once in a day check,
No.
The outside check has to be performed prior to
Every flight and as mentioned before this procedure applies for little sports planes/ private jets and helicopters
although these aircrafts fly on a less regular basis
So their vulnerable
Instruments the engines inlets and outlets are covered with a red protective cover marked with big letters "REMOVE
BEFORE FLIGHT" and safety balls
Which protect the rudders from flapping about in the wind are
Also tagged with this warning sign if you want to learn more about that check out my other video about the "remove before flight" tags
So in the event that something is malfunctioning or broken will request a certified technician
for help. if he can repair the broken part, he'll state his repairs in the
Technical flight log and it proves that the aircraft is "air worthy"
Otherwise if new parts or bigger inspections and repairs are needed, he'll write it off and the aircraft is then
AOG (Aircraft On Ground)
Now I would like you to comment below
Which part of the outside check you would like me to do a more
Detailed video on like what was an antenna or an instrument you didn't really understand? Just let me know and by the way I have seen
Remote-controlled pilots performing outside checks on their planes and that walk-around definitely doesn't take as long as circling a Boeing
747
That's it for today
Thank you very much for your time. To become my wing man hit the subscribe button and notification bell
So you won't miss out upcoming videos and don't forget- "A good pilot is always learning". See you next week, all the best, Your Captain Joe