The pre-flight inspection is something we learn about during our first flight lesson. We poke, prod, uncowl, measure and eyeball various fluids and components while the airplane is still safely on the ramp, all to help decide if it's safe to fly. Yet, once we take off, we often find we missed something. Hopefully, what we missed is relatively insignificant and merely embarrassing, rather than a safety-of-flight issue. In any case, we should be striving for perfection and ensuring we've not forgotten anything. So, based on our long experience in missing things during a pre-flight inspection, here's our list of the top five pre-flight mistakes.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/flight-safety/technique/top-five-pre-flight-mistakes