Rant: Heard a pilot at the hangar say 'a clean plane flies better' and it stuck with me

I was finishing up a wash on a Cessna 172 last Friday when a pilot walked by and said that to his buddy. I've always known cleaning is part of the job, but he was talking about how even a thin layer of grime can mess with airflow and sensors. It made me double-check the pitot tubes and static ports on my next three inspections. Has anyone else had a small comment change how they do a routine task?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_jones8d ago

That's just an old hangar myth with no real science behind it.

riley_gibson198d ago

Totally get that, @emma_jones, but my old CFI's tip about checking tire pressure changed my whole preflight routine.

abbyhall8d ago

My old flight instructor used to say the same thing. It's one of those simple truths that just clicks.