Last Bits

Becky stood back from the RV-7 and admired every inch of the newly constructed airplane. She’d made her first flight a month ago and was getting ready for the first big cross-country.

“I think everything is ready to go,” she remarked.

“It sure looks like it,” said her hanger-mate Perry, “but get your flight advisor over one more time before you leave just to double-check. And ask everyone and anyone to take a look.” 

“Right.” Becky had several of the local experts pour over the airplane. She gave them free rein to complain about anything. And they did. 

Swallow your pride and listen to the pickiest person you can find before your first flight and also before your first cross-country. What are you forgetting? Here are a few things to think about adding to your airplane, if you haven’t already. You’ll be able to think of more.

A CO detector. When your aircraft is still new, there could either be a mismatch in alignment of components in the exhaust system, or some other fault you didn’t catch that brings carbon monoxide into the cockpit. As a pilot, you already know that CO is insidious, and you might not detect impairment until something bad happens. If you have a leak, it won’t fix itself, and you want to know about it early.

There are many inexpensive alarms available. A popular one is the Radiant USB alarm because of its simplicity and low cost. But you can also put the ASA patch detector on your panel or use any of the more expensive handheld detectors. The trouble with the cheap patch detector is that you need to be consciously checking it because it’s not an alarm. You’re not going to be checking it when you’re putting the first hours on your airplane; there will be too many other things that have your attention.

Consider a couple of other items you might not have thought of. One is a fire extinguisher, and the other is a handheld radio.

Murphy’s Law applies to fire extinguishers; if you have the extinguisher, there will be no fire. I’m kidding, of course, but having the right kind of extinguisher for your airplane is critical. The Halon 1211-1301 Blend is a good choice, and there are others. Don’t choose a dry chemical extinguisher; they are corrosive, and a CO2 extinguisher will remove the oxygen from your cockpit—not a good idea.

Make sure the extinguisher you choose is rated for aircraft use. Scientists are working on safer chemicals for use in airplanes, but for now the Halon blends are the best choice.

A handheld radio is also handy in the cockpit; not only for flight emergencies but also for panel avionics failures. Back to Murphy’s Law; if you have it, you probably won’t need it. Or so we hope.

Other items may come to mind as you prepare yourself and your airplane for those glorious first trips. Have other people weigh in and have other eyes inspecting your aircraft as you get ready to fly. We may find this personally annoying, but if someone finds even one stray item, it’s worth it. 

We have done so many inspections that our vision glazes over, and we are not going to see things that others will notice right off the bat. Be glad and enjoy the trip.