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Preflight Inspection
A thorough visual and physical inspection of the aircraft performed by the pilot before each flight. The preflight checks fuel quantity and quality, oil level, control surfaces, tires, lights, and overall aircraft condition using the manufacturer's checklist.
Related Terms
- RNAV (Area Navigation)A method of navigation that allows aircraft to fly on any desired flight path within the coverage of referenced navigation signals or within the limits of self-contained system capability (GPS). RNAV approaches are the most common GPS-based instrument approaches.
- Sectional ChartAn aeronautical chart used for VFR navigation that depicts topographic features, airspace boundaries, airports, navigation aids, and other information at a scale of 1:500,000. Sectional charts are updated every 56 days.
- SIGMET (Significant Meteorological Information)An in-flight weather advisory for significant hazards that may affect all aircraft, such as severe icing, severe or extreme turbulence, dust storms, or volcanic ash. SIGMETs are checked with convective SIGMETs and G-AIRMETs when building a route weather picture.
- Slip/SkidUncoordinated flight conditions. A slip occurs when the aircraft is banked too much for the rate of turn (ball deflected toward the turn). A skid occurs when there is too much rudder for the bank angle (ball deflected away from the turn). The inclinometer (ball) indicates coordination.