By Michael Gillmour 

I’m always amazed at the different attitudes expressed by pilots towards hiring aircraft. Whenever I hire a plane I treat it as if it is my own. I ensure that all the paperwork is completed, checks are done, carry extra oil, baby the engine along and complete all the shut-down checks. I take the attitude that if you look after the plane, it will look after you.

Here’s the problem though. I’ve hired planes where there’s rubbish on the floor, no dip-sticks for the fuel tank, no check-lists, the pilot operating handbook is almost illegible (ie. barely legal), the baggage area is full of used oil bottles, the dash is cracked and stuck together with gaffer tape and, generally speaking, the plane is just filthy.

The problem with an aircraft in this condition is, if the plane is a mess on the inside, the question has to be asked whether it’s a mess in the engine and controls as well? Sure, owners need to ensure that their aircraft is presentable and airworthy but the question has to be asked, “How did it get in such a mess?”

For the most part it’s the fault of pilots that don’t seem to care what state they fly or leave a plane in. As I said previously, if they fly in a mess then maybe their flying is a mess and maybe their checks are a mess and just, maybe, they are more likely to have an engine failure. I just hope their FMOST check isn't in a mess! Trying to dig your ERSA out from underneath a mound of McDonald’s wrappers is not my idea of safe flying. Yes, I've had to empty a plane of McDonald's wrappers prior to flying.

Here’s my advice: when you hire an aircraft, treat it as if it was your own. Take the attitude that you’ve just forked out a few hundred grand of your children’s inheritance to purchase your very own plane. Are you going to do your checks thoroughly? Heck yes! How about double checking the oil? Absolutely! Are you going to make sure that the plane is spick-and-span? Of course!

Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that it’s ‘only a hire plane’ so I don’t really have to worry about the stones ‘pinging’ off the propeller as you do your run-up checks remaining stationary on gravel. It’s not my propeller is it? For the duration of your flight that propeller is all that keeps you up in the air and far from harm. Look after it! You may not have to pay the thousands of dollars to have the propeller re-machined but you could pay with your life if a stone created a hairline fracture that cause a section of your propeller to drop off mid-flight.

Why bother leaning the mixture....after all I paid for a wet hire. Even though we all know that it’s better for both fuel economy (ie. benefits your hiring company) and for the engine to lean the mixture I know of pilots that treat the red lever on the right as merely a serving suggestion. What's more important about leaning is that, ultimately, it helps look after the next guy who hires the plane by looking after the engine.

Why bother letting the engine warm up? I’m paying for engine time and time is money! This attitude completely disgusts me as it clearly shows a lack of understanding on the part of the pilot on how an engine works and a complete disregard for their own and their passengers’ safety. In a very simple way, if the engine is not warmed up and you go to full power then the additional oil pressure cause by the ‘thick’ oil (as it’s not warmed up) trying to lubricate the engine could cause all sorts of problems including a complete loss of power. Losing power just on take-off should be every pilot’s nightmare – look after the plane and let it warm up prior to doing your run-ups or, heaven forbid, take-off and you’ll find that the plane will look after you as you accelerate down the runway.

Not bothering to fill out any maintenance issues on the maintenance release is a really common problem with hired aircraft. Since you’ve just landed and parked the aircraft then you’re ok, aren’t you? All pilots are obligated to notify the hiring company of any issues via the maintenance release form for the safety of the next guy. In fact, forget the hiring company....we are obligated full stop! I’ve climbed aboard planes where seat-belts didn’t work, doors didn’t close properly and radios had failed only to discover that the maintenance release didn’t mention any of the items! It's not hard....it's just a bit of paper. If you don't know how to fill it out then ask someone how...but don't leave it blank.

My favourite is the end of flight checks. I've lost count of the number of times that I’ve been down at Moorabbin to see a plane pull up and the next thing I knew was the engine was shutdown. What happened to the pre-shutdown checks? You might get indignant and say, "Did you know that the shutdown check costs me $5!" Do the check, spend the extra money and look after the plane that kept you alive....think of it as a thank-you for the privilege of letting me fly in you.

I really could go on and on and on about the things that I’ve seen and heard in my short time as an aviator. It just makes me cringe... At 4,500 feet it really makes little difference if you own the plane or someone else does. The fact is you’re flying! Human factors are one of the biggest causes of accidents in our industry and many of those accidents are fatal. Let’s make sure that as pilots we behave professionally and look after EVERY plane we fly no matter who the legal owner is. Run a tight plane, respect it, love it, look after it and it will look after you.