Student Procedures In-and-Around Aircraft
To keep our operating costs down, the following procedures must be followed by all BPFS students and renters. Some will seem remedial and not worthy of mention but aircraft airworthiness is highly regulated and it doesn’t take much to require a maintenance check-up. Our Flight Instructors will always remind you to treat our aircraft like you own it but we’'ll need to rely on you to meet them half-way. Please remain collaborative and commit to the following methods.
PRE-FLIGHT
Doors:
You’ll learn quickly that Kalaeloa Airport is windy. When preflighting, students must be cognizant of the positon of aircraft doors once open. Upon initial arrival at the aircraft, you’ll want to open the door, open the windows (can be left open on ground with door open or closed) and from the outside, get situated. Whether you’re removing the gust lock, plugging in your headset, turning on the master switch, checking flaps and/or dropping off your items prior to your walk-around, the door will be open. If windy, the door will want to swing with the wind. You are expected to prevent this from happening by applying body pressure against the door to prevent this. When windy, try to manage the door but especially, don’t “walk away”.
Hyper Extension Hazard
The aircraft door only weighs approximately 15 pounds and in the right conditions, the door could hyper-extend and will require immediate maintenance, effectively grounding your flight. Maintenance will not be happy, students after you will not be happy and the repair could take two days minimum. Keep doors closed when conducting exterior inspection. Finally, when getting into the aircraft, students often have a tendency to leave the door open while making final preparations before engine start, If it isn’t windy, this is okay but if not, shut the door and open the window.
Seat Positioning
Prior to entering the aircraft, you should have your seat adjusted the way you like it. Seat tracks are made of light weight material with round detents that the seat adjuster pins rest in to keep the seat positioned. Because of inflight maneuvering and aircraft vibration, eventually the tracks need to be changed. This is usually a 4 to 5 day job for two mechanics and is a serious inspection item to look out for.
These affects are just a normal part of aircraft operations, however, useful life of the seat tracks are also significantly aggravated by maneuvering the seat into position with back and fourth motion while in the seat, especially if a student or renter is on the heavier side. We expect students to consider these effects on the aircraft and to please do your part to keep be nice to our aircraft in order to keep em’ in the air.
Rosen Visors
Rosen aircraft visors are among the premier sun visors in the industry. Nearly all of our aircraft have them and purchase costs are significant. Please observe the following videos for your situational awareness. Financial costs of damage to aircraft Rosen visors due to negligence or mishandling will be passed to students.
Video: Remove or Replace Sun Shield
ROSEN Visor