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"It Flew In, So It Ought To Fly Out...Right?"

rstark
Adventurer B
The humorous title of this piece is an old aviation saying that actually has a serious side to it. In modern jet airliners, every important fluid level, pressure level, electrical voltage level, electrical current level, essentially every important item that could impact the flight, is monitored by some sensor wired to a light or gauge to notify the Pilots if something is amiss. All those lights you see when you peek in the cockpit--they are all wired to one or more systems in the aircraft. If there were a problem with one of these systems the last time the aircraft flew, the Pilots would have been notified by a warning system. Once on the ground, the Pilot would have been charged to notify Maintenance about the issue. But, those monitored system "levels" are not the only things that could affect the flight. That is why Pilots do "walkaround" inspections on the aircraft. These are performed on the first flight of the day as well as during Crew changes one or more times a day and upon the final flight of the day--and as well as at the discretion of the Captain. For example, on flights after moderate turbulence, I like to do a quick exterior inspection to make sure no aircraft panel latches have popped loose. A walkaround inspection is simply a visual inspection to verify there are no serious leaks, drips, spills, dents, scrapes, scratches, or other boo-boos on the outside of the plane. To make sure we don't miss anything, we always start at the same point and end up at that same point. Usually, before the inspection starts, the Pilot inside turns on all the exterior lights, and the Pilot doing the exterior inspection verifies the lights are operable. Starting at the nose,ray-737-nose.jpg we inspect for birdstrikes or other impact damage on the nose of the plane. The "pointy end" of the jet is called the radome and is fiberglass. It is very strong but will deform if you hit a big enough bird. (I hit a snow goose once on final, and it dented the side in about ten inches.) We also inspect the pitot tubes that sense the airspeed the plane is flying as well as an Angle of Attack sensor on the nose under the pitot tube. Once the nose is checked, we enter the wheel-well and check for hydraulic leaks, bent rods, worn tires, and overall condition of the strut assembly. The nose gear locking pin is removed (if installed). Then, we move outside. Walking down the right side of the aircraft, we ensure lower door panels are closed and secure. We make sure no ground equipment has come in contact with the jet, damaging it. We peek in the forward cargo bin to ensure there are no liquid spills and that the bin is undamaged and usable. From the bin, we move further back and inspect the intake to the right air conditioning pack. Birds, trash, and other foreign objects can occasionally lodge themselves in this ductwork. With the pack inlet inspected, we inspect the leading edge of the wing inboard of the engine making sure the landing light lenses are not cracked and the leading edge is not dented from an errant bird. Latches on the engine are verified secure, and the leading edge of the engine cowl is checked for dents and damage. We peek inside the front of the engine to verify no bent fan blades and no damage to the inlet area. Moving to the outside of the engine, we ensure the outside latch is secure, and then, we ensure that the leading edge of the wing all the way out to the tip is secure and undamaged and all the wing leading edge high-lift devices (slats) are properly stowed. The wingtip has clear lens covers on it, and we make sure they are undamaged. Same for the aircraft equipped with winglets. The composite winglets are examined as we move to the trailing (rear) edge of the wing. The trailing edge is the most fragile part of the wing structure. It also consists of the ailerons and flap assemblies. Aileron and flap alignment and position is checked, along with fuel measuring stations on the bottom of the wing. Passing the rear of the engine, we peek in to inspect the turbine blades for damage and the reverser assembly for correct position and condition as well as any leaks on the ground under the engine. Some leaks are normal, but anything out of the ordinary is referred to Maintenance. After a main landing gear strut and tire inspection, as well as pulling the main landing gear pin, we move into the main wheel-well area. Here there are miles of wires and hydraulic lines and pumps positioned here, we inspect overall condition as well, as the main hydraulic tank quantities and emergency engine and APU fire bottle quantities. If you are going to get your nice new white shirt dirty, this is probably the place. A fine layer of dirt and grime covers everything. Standby brake accumulators are checked for proper residual pressure to enable is to stop the plane should all hydraulics fail. Once finished there, we once again go outside and continue down the side of the plane. The rear cargo bin is inspected and the main outflow valve located right behind the cargo bin is verified clean and clear. The Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) inlet follows and is verified clear. The lower fuselage is inspected for damage, and we then inspect the tail of the plane. The horizontal tail leading edges are verified dent free just like the wings. ray-tail-inspection.jpgIf there are small dents, we call Maintenance Control to verify these dents are within limits and are entered into the aircraft electric logbook "dent log." The horizontal and vertical flight controls are inspected for proper positioning and damage. From the rear of the plane, the pilot pauses and examines the whole aircraft from behind, the only exterior vantage point for wing upper surfaces and upper wing flight controls (spoiler array). Then we move around to the left side of the plane where the same inspection is essentially carried out in reverse order. We eventually end up at the nose of the plane where we started. I have only described a tenth of the things we actually inspect and verify. A Pilot essentially "washes the plane with his or her eyes" making sure the aircraft before him meets the "normal" aircraft he or she is used to seeing day in and day out. These visual Pilot inspections are in addition to scheduled inspections by maintenance personnel when the plane passes through maintenance locations on a weekly cycle. And further, far more detailed maintenance inspections are completed on a longer-term time scale with the aircraft being taken out of service and essentially "disassembled" every other year or so, depending on flight time or calendar time, as mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the aircraft manufacturer. So now you know what that Pilot is doing out in the rain and wind, with the flashlight in one hand and three orange streamers (attached to the gear pins) in the other hand, staring at the plane while trying not to fall over anything like ground equipment or air conditioning hoses or power cables, and the whole time while trying not to get run over by ramp vehicles zoomingray-beltloader.jpg by or getting blown away by jets taxiing out from and into nearby gates. They are watching everything to make sure the plane you will fly on is in tip-top shape for your flight. This is but another one of the duties Pilots perform outside of the cockpit. In addition to Pilot inspections, ground personnel loading bags are ever vigilant for unusual items they see on the aircraft on which they are working. ray-ramp-agents.jpgWhen I am on the ramp, whether involved in an aircraft inspection or just walking along, I constantly examine other aircraft nearby for unusual conditions. Airliners are constantly being examined and inspected by everyone that comes in contact with them, and this is partly why the safety record of commercial aviation is so excellent. Oh yeah, once the outside inspection is done, the Pilot goes back to the cockpit where the entire cockpit gets a look-over and most aircraft systems are exercised and tested. All for your flying comfort... ...and ours.
21 Comments
Arnold_Howard
Explorer C
I've read in Wall Street Journal that many airlines are cutting costs by having their planes serviced in South America. This may explain why American Airlines has had so many mechanical problems on recent flights that I've taken--long, long delays, cancelled flights, planes switched out, etc. Does Southwest have maintenance performed in the U.S., or have you followed the other airlines and gone to South America too? Thanks, Arnold Howard
joe-mdw-plane-d
Frequent Flyer C
Arnnold, Southwest does Line Maintenance -Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orlando, Phoenix, and Tampa Bay Intermediate (B&C Checks) Maintenance - Phoenix, Houston and Dallas Heavy Maintenance - Dallas In addition there are a few other places that do some work as well. They are all in the US. Customer service is just a phone call away. Ding! boy Joe
jmalone
Adventurer A
Ray - as usual, thank for writing an informative post. Being a Flight Attendant, I have often wondered what exactly you all are looking at on your walk-arounds. James MDW FA
Captain_Ray_Sta
Explorer B
Arnold, Our planes stay in the U.S. but our engines (about 3/4 of them) get a vacation trip to Brazil for overhaul. The work there runs (per man-hour) 1/4 what it does in the states and is performed at the engine manufacturers facility. Word is from one of our proplusion engineers, the work performed there is far superior to what we got from in-US facilities. The workers there are highly paid relative to the local economy and they highly value the jobs they have. They take their work very seriously and very personally. So far, the number of post overhaul issues appears to be far below what we were experiencing with overhaul facilities in the US. Bottom line: Better work is simply better work. Ray.
Leah4
Frequent Flyer B
Thanks for the great post! I think it's interesting to read about what you do when checking the planes! Do you do the same when you drive? Ha, ha! 🙂 One reason why I want to work for SWA is that the Company has an excellent safety record; another reason is I LUV to have fun. :) SWA is So Wonderfully Awesome!
FriendofBlogBoy
Frequent Flyer B
Arnold, My friend Joe does not actually have high enough security clearance to know the truth. All of Southwest's planes are flown to Elbonia, where they receive outstanding and very professional maintenance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbonia Just setting the record straight, Kim Who Has Never Been to Elbonia 🙂
Erin7
Explorer B
Kim, Elbonia??? Thats news to me..I am sitting up here in Everett Wa, watching the great folks at Goodrich work on a few of our planes as we speak. Southwest has been sending our planes here to Goodrich for over 30 years. Now that is a great partnership and the longivity speaks for itself. Erin Duckgirl
joe-mdw-plane-d
Frequent Flyer C
Kim, You are really Catbert aren't you? Or you could be the pointy haired boss. Hmm,? For Sale: One groundhog. Needs a new home far away from under my deck. Cheap, digs well. Is a Vegan. Ding! boy Joe
FriendofBlogBoy
Frequent Flyer B
Erin, Well, the fact is that you are only seeing part of the bigger picture. Southwest hires Goodrich to get all of the mud out of their planes after the crack Elbonian technicians have finished doing the maintenance and safety modifications. As I'm sure you know, or can read in the link above about Elbonia, they do not have runways, and so planes (and people) just land in the waist-deep mud over there. It is messy, but it is also cheap, and allows Southwest to save billions and billions on maintenance costs, which frees up that sum of money to pay Blog Boy each year. Oh, and Duckgirl? Congratulations on the newly-awarded Holiday Bowl victory from 2005! Kim External Blog Boy and Director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Elbonia 🙂
FriendofBlogBoy
Frequent Flyer B
Joe, I am not a cat lover, and therefore could not be Catbert; I am probably more comparable to Wally, even though I'm not a coffee drinker, either... LOL Kim External Blog Boy who never had pointy hair even when he was a boss 🙂
joe-mdw-plane-d
Frequent Flyer C
Kim, A builder I used to work for 7 years ago looks exactly like pointy haired boss. I was quite surprised when I first started reading "dilbert" and saw the boss. Groundhog has been boxed up and is on a southwest flight to the Seale residence. Thanks for all of the bids. Ding! boy Joe.
blusk
Aviator C
Hey Kim, I'd be careful opening Joe's box. He might have sent you a wolverine instead. Blog Boy
FriendofBlogBoy
Frequent Flyer B
That's ok, my Longhorn can squish anything he sends me... Hook 'em Horns! Kim Burnt Orange Blog Boy 🙂
David21
Explorer C
I apologize if this isn't the proper place for this question, but I couldn't find what seemed to be a better one. If there is a blog or site I could go to, just let me know and I'll post my question there. How does Southwest determine the home bases for it's pilots/flight attendants? Thank you
joe-mdw-plane-d
Frequent Flyer C
Brian, How do you know I didn't send Kim a Spartan? I would be doing all of the U-M fans a huge favor! Now accepting Dinersclub! Ding! boy Joe
rstark
Adventurer B
(Not to interfere with the off-topic chatter....) Base locations.... That is a toughie. Greater minds than mine look at aircraft flows, the number of overnighting aircraft and hotel costs, along with about 89 other variables to site a new crew base. Just opening one up costs SWA nearly 2 million by the time the paint is dry, the phones are on and the people have been paid to move there. Airport office space is off-the-charts-expensive to lease -after you build in the infrastructure. Other things come into play as in Las Vegas, our newest base opening in October. We know many pilots and FA's will commute to LAS. The company has to make sure the commuting personnel will have access to reliable and affordable hotel rooms to reside in before and after their scheduled trips (paid for by them by the way). On top of that, future growth must be considered. Plus about eleventy-seven other factors I am not even aware of. Ray
FriendofBlogBoy
Frequent Flyer B
Wow, That just shows you how smart those SW pilots like Cap'n Ray are. They start with "89 other variables" , then deduct drying paint, phone activations, relocation and office finish-out and arrive at a remaining total of "eleventy-seven". I never DID get that new math when my kids were in school, but it reassures me that the guys and gals up front calculating fuel weight and headwinds and the pounds of candy corn onboard can do it! Kim The Mathematically Challenged Blog Boy 2 + 2 still equals 5, doesn't it? 🙂
Kevin211
Explorer A
I worked for D____ and a flight came in no problem, But on the walk around the Co-pilot found that the tire had split about 18 inches long to 1and half wide. Your wright, the flt was late in leaving about an hour while they changed the tire, NO, the michanics at the airport did it!!!
David21
Explorer C
Thanks Captain Ray! That casts a little light on the black-magic of what SW has to go through to pick a new base. One more question, how does it work for individual pilots/FA and the airports that they are assigned to chiefly work out of. Thanks again for satisfying my curiosity! David
tvnutt
Explorer C
I love SW, and will only fly THIS airline because of it's impeccable safety record. However I have two concerns...1) SW only flies 737's, mainly new ones. This month a China Air 737 exploded in Japan. Inspection showed a nut on one of the flaps used to take off and land pierced the fuel tank. Now the FAA wants all 737's examined. What's better to fly? A newly designed plane or a a veteran plane that's been in the air 20+ years? Seems like a coin toss 2) I recently came back from Europe(too bad SW doesn't fly INTL) and the flights were very smooth and I felt pretty secure with the airline(lost luggage was a different story...) upon take off the flight crew was already getting drinks within 10 minutes and the ascent was so smooth the seatbelt sign go turned off at the same time. I experienced this on a US airline too a few years back. How come when SW planes ascend the ride is bumpy and you can really feel the plane bank when the pilot has to turn direction? Is it the type of plane that just makes you feel it more? I have to say I hate the ascent when flying SW(trust me, that's my ONLY complaint about this airline).
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[...] to funnel it through the marketing or PR funnel. In July last year, Phoenix-based captain Ray Clark blogged about how pilots do “walk around inspections” like you would do for a car, in addition to [...]