Had a pitot-static test fail on a Cessna 172 last Thursday in Amarillo because I skipped cleaning the static ports first

Spent two hours chasing a leak I could have fixed in ten minutes if I'd just wiped the ports down before hooking up the tester anyone else ever have a simple check bite you like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

murphy.barbara15d ago

Used to roll my eyes at the "clean the ports" step in the manual. Figured it was just a checkbox for the paperwork people. After a similar experience with a Seneca where I spent over an hour chasing a 50-foot altitude error only to find a spider web in the static port, I changed my mind completely. Now I bring a can of compressed air and a soft brush to every test, even if it adds five minutes to the setup. That little bit of junk can throw off the whole system and make you feel like an idiot when you finally spot it. Makes you wonder how many other simple steps we skip that end up costing us, right?

nancy52415d ago

Ha, @kim.xena, a wasp nest is definitely a next level version of the same nightmare! It's funny how this lesson translates to so many things. I swear half the problems in life just come from skipping the boring little prep work, like not reading instructions or not checking the oil before a long drive. It always feels like a waste of time until it saves you a ton of headache.

kim.xena15d ago

Totally agree @murphy.barbara, found a wasp nest in my Cessna's static port once and felt like a COMPLETE fool.