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It Was a Matter of Time

stewartb

MEMBER
Took off today and nothing sounded or felt right. I couldn’t put my finger on it so at 1000’ I turned around and landed. Didn’t notice anything until I read a text from a neighbor that my cargo door was open when I took off. And it still was. Not my proudest moment. :) No damage to door or hinge and nothing fell out. I’ve wondered if that door would tear off the plane if it came open in flight. Not today. I have a new placard now!
 

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Wow, really glad nothing was damaged. And that is a great testament to the construction that you guys did. Obviously it is well-built.


Bill
 
I have had the same concern and I have the same door. I have a red lanyard on the baggage key and I always keep it locked. Otherwise, I know I’ll do the same thing at some point.
 
Thank you for sharing. The more folks share stuff like this the safer we all are. This is my definition of a good pilot.

Sikorsky
 
No one is immune...

Wow, how fantastic to have it light and strong. Having something that will hold together is important.

Good on you for trusting the 'feel'.
 
Twice now I have forgotten my baggage door, and both times got a radio call from neighbors that it was open before I took off. I think I need more than a placard, maybe a warning light like my C400 had. Or maybe a circuit that gives me a good shock on the stick if I advance the throttle with the door open.

Nice to know it might all hold together anyway!

Thanks for posting.
 
I think I need more than a placard, maybe a warning light like my C400 had. Or maybe a circuit that gives me a good shock on the stick if I advance the throttle with the door open.
A checklist or mnemonic, if used, is a cheap and effective fix if you can see the cargo door from the pilot seat. For example, on the PC-12 the mnemonic for the pre-takeoff checklist is FATFLY (Flaps and Trims, Flight idle, three TAWS Lights, Yaw damper off). By using that mnemonic I’ve caught trim settings that were not in the takeoff range several times.

It’s different with something that you can’t see from the cockpit. Twice I’ve forgotten a tail stand on a C208 but other pilots kept me from embarrassing myself. I always wanted a pin or lanyard that I could bring into the cockpit so I could visually confirm that the pin had been removed and the tail stand stowed. Joemcd’s key with lanyard solution is a good one, especially if there’s a place in the cockpit where the key/lanyard can be stowed within sight so you can visually check for it when running your checklist.
 
the Cessna baggage door keys stay ON the mag switch key at work. I set the keys on the seat when baggage open, back in the mag switch once locked. Works for me.

Many years ago a wise pilot told me that once you load and are ready to get into the plane, stop and walk around your plane with the last part of the walk being in front of the plane to be sure there are no sno=gos, ATVs, small children or dogs laying in font of your plane. You can hide a lot by the front of even a 172. When you do that walk around you can also catch many oops.

Hard to remember, but nothing is needed to be done in such a hurry you can't check a final time. I forget sometimes, but another habit I am including.
 
My baggage door was shut when I taxied out, just not latched. My kit included a self-latch but it was too clunky to install. I have two small twist locks and this flight was without Dog, so no cargo door use. I simply overlooked it. My Cessna door is forward hinged so blows closed even if not latched. A couple of SQ builders have converted their cargo doors to forward hinged in fear of what would happen if the door opened. That’s a large part of why I posted this, to ease any fears among my SQ peers.

I could add a strut mirror like an amphib uses but a placard to remind me to check the door seems effective enough. Get back out of the plane a few times and I’ll start remembering it in advance.
 
Thanks for sharing, I did that once with my CC baggage door on my cub and the only way I knew was it was cold. Then I have have had the oil door on my 180 open in flight. Its amazing how steady they stay in the flow.

But the real question is did you have better yaw-resistance with the new mid-dorsal, could be a thing. Introducing the "Retractable Stewart Dorsal."
 
Doing a 360° or 720° walk around is required where I work. Lots of gotchas have been found. I have since translated the walk around to my flying. "Oh look at that, I left the Delorme on the horizontal while loading through the baggage door."

I just got my first belly pod and must be sure it's closed.
 
A great pilot we deal with told us one time that there is no reason to leave a gas cap off.

There is no reason to close a baggage compartment without latching...

Yet, I have done it...:toilet
 
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