By Vic Syracuse, EAA Lifetime 180848
This piece originally ran in Vic’s Checkpoints column in the May 2025 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine.
A few months ago on a Sunday afternoon, when most FBOs are closed, I saw a post on Facebook from a pilot requesting help. It seems he had landed somewhere on his trip and experienced a flat tire on the runway. He was wondering if anyone knew of a local mechanic, and hopefully one with a tire and tube. As usually happens when a stranded pilot requests help, there were many generous offers of ways to help and find help.
I had a different reaction. First, I was glad that no one was hurt and the airplane was not damaged. My second reaction was that I hoped he learned a lesson. Yes, I know that might sound cold, but he also posted a picture of the aircraft and flat tire on the runway. Clearly on display for everyone to see was a severely worn tire with a huge bald spot that had some of the tire cord showing! Really?! I think we can be pretty confident that the condition of the tire did not occur on this flight. It should have been caught on the preflight, if one was even done. As much as I wanted to post my thoughts, I did not. But thankfully, others did pile on.
Those of you who are airline pilots probably think bald spots are okay. If I remember correctly, there is even a specification for the size of the allowed bald spot on a commercial airliner. Perhaps he was an airline pilot, and this didn’t seem out of the norm to him. I disagree.
First, airliners usually have more than one tire on the individual sets of main landing gear, so one tire blowing out does not usually disable the aircraft. Second, I believe that pilots have a responsibility to ourselves and our passengers to make sure we preflight each aircraft with an understanding of its specific limitations.
We fly single-engine aircraft with one propeller. The propeller is staring you in the face during the preflight. Losing a blade tip due to dings or corrosion could be fatal.
Just taking off in a light general aviation aircraft with cord showing on the tire prompts the question — “Why?” Quite candidly, I am seeing more and more of this attitude in general aviation than I ever remember seeing in the past. There used to be an attitude of “My family and I are in this airplane, and I want it to be safe.” Today’s attitude seems to be more of “What can I put off for a while?” Now I am seeing things such as only doing annual oil changes, especially if the aircraft hasn’t flown much. I wonder if the owners are really thinking about how much these engines cost these days!
It’s mind-boggling to me how anyone can depart in an aircraft with visible control surface damage. When asked if there was anything abnormal during the flight, the answer was “no” from both pilots. So, it begs the question if a preflight was done, as none of this damage could have occurred during the flight.
I understand aviation is expensive. Honestly, the rise in aviation costs does seem way out of line with the overall inflation numbers. But I am not going to get into politics here. Unfortunately, the costs are what they are. Many of us look back and talk about how much lower the costs were years ago. I remember renting the Aero Club’s T-34 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in 1978 for $18 per hour wet. Once I qualified for the GI Bill, it became $1.80 per hour. Compared to today’s prices, that sounds ludicrously cheap. But, I assure you, back then it did not seem cheap at all. We struggled and cut back in other areas. Both of us worked. We would go out to dinner once every two weeks at a restaurant that cost us $5 for a full meal.
Tailwheel pilots need all the odds stacked in their favor that they can get. Flying around with tail wheel tires such as this, loose springs, or corroded cables is certainly not helping. One of the main landing gears is bent as well. These did not occur on the flight to the maintenance shop.
Throughout my life, I don’t remember anytime that aviation has been “cheap.” There have been lots of jokes associated with the aviation industry relative to costs. The bottom line is that it is not cheap to play in the aviation world. Most pilots know that going into it. Why risk it by trying to be cheap? The effects can have serious consequences.
Many GA aircraft get away easily with flat tires on landing, primarily due to lower landing speeds. But for some pilots, the loud noise, thumping, and subsequent loss of directional control can be quite unnerving, causing runway excursions with aircraft damage and even loss of life. At a minimum, landing with a flat tire at your destination, especially with the family on a vacation trip, can put a real damper on the fun factor. All for something that could have been prevented before the flight ever left the ground.
This “incident” prompted me to look back over the last year at the “discoveries” I made on aircraft that may have had different outcomes had they failed during the flight. I have tried to limit them to items that should have been caught either on a preflight or during an inspection.
This spark plug was pulled from an engine that had its condition inspection signed off two weeks and two hours earlier. Four of the eight plugs were in this condition. Plus, there were three different types of aviation spark plugs installed.
I fear if this attitude keeps up, we will begin to see a higher accident rate. Since pictures can be more powerful than words, I am going to limit my comments and share more pictures in this column. These pictures were all taken during the last year and are not the worst of the worst. I hope they will remind you to address those deficiencies on your airplane. Or, better yet, take the high ground and point them out to your buddy on their airplane. This will help to keep the fun factor alive for you, your passengers, and your friends.
Let’s all try to be a good example when it comes to maintenance. Why risk it?
Vic Syracuse, EAA Lifetime 180848, is a commercial pilot, A&P/IA mechanic, designated airworthiness representative, and EAA flight advisor and technical counselor. He has built 11 aircraft and has logged more than 11,000 hours in 75 different types. Vic founded Base Leg Aviation, has authored books on maintenance and prebuy inspections, and posts videos weekly on his YouTube channel. He also volunteers as a Young Eagles pilot.