Remove before flight is a safety warning often seen on removable aircraft and spacecraft components, typically in the form of a red ribbon, to indicate that a device, such as a protective cover or a pin to prevent the movement of mechanical parts, is only used when the aircraft is on the ground (parked or taxiing). On small general aviation aircraft, this may include a pitot tube cover or a control lock. The warning appears in English only. Other ribbons labelled "pull to arm" or similar are found on missiles and other weapon systems that are not mounted on aircraft.
Remove-before-flight components are often referred to as "red tag items". Typically, the ground crew will have a checklist of remove-before-flight items. Some checklists will require the ribbon or tag to be attached to the checklist to verify it has been removed. Non-removal of a labelled part has caused airplane crashes, like that of Aeroperú Flight 603 and, in 1975, a Royal Nepal Airlines Pilatus PC-6 Porter carrying the wife and daughter of Sir Edmund Hillary.[1]
Red tag items
Red tag items typically include:
- Ejector seat pins
- Gust locks
- Intake/Inlet blanks
- Landing gear pins
- Pitot tube covers
See also
Aviation portal- Index of aviation articles
- Red tag
- Mind the gap
- Lists of aviation topics
- List of aviation, avionics, aerospace and aeronautical abbreviations
References
- ^ "Aeroperu B757 Accident". www.rvs.uni-bielefeld.de.
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This page was last edited on 31 January 2024, at 12:02