TECHNIQUE BY JILL W. TALLMAN ILLUSTRATION BY CHARLES FLOYD TIME TO GO PRETAKEOFF CHECKLIST A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION IS YOUR BEST OPPORTUNITY TO VERIFY AN AIRPLANE'S AIRWORTHI- ness. Once you've completed that inspection, you're still not finished. You'll taxi your trainer to the runup area and perform a pretakeoff check-your last chance to make sure everything's functioning and ready to go. Pretakeoff checklists will vary according to make and model, but they all follow a pattern. Here's one from a Piper Cherokee 140: Flaps: As required for takeoff This depends on the type of takeoff you will perform. For most trainers it's between 0 and 10 degrees. Doors, windows: Closed/secure Nobody wants to deal with a door opening in flight. Push on it after it's closed to check it is secure. Mixture: Rich High density altitude may require adjustment to this setting. 28 FLIGHT TRAINING JUNE 2020