"Marco Leon" mleon(at)optonline.net wrote:

I agree that many--if not most--of the IFR avionics are not necessary for
VFR. I got that. Do you not check any of the non-essential avionics before
a VFR flight?

Maybe it's because I own the aircraft I fly and I would like to know what
is and what is not working. I am also based at an airport under New York
Mode C Veil. However, even on a rental I would want to know if anything is
inop. Wouldn't you?

I was thinking something similar as I read this thread. I check, for
example, all the lights even if I've no plans to be flying at night. It
permits me to avoid cancellation of a night flight if I can replace a dead
bulb ahead of time. The same applies to avionics: I'd rather know about
the failure with sufficient lead time that it can be fixed before I've a
flight that requires it.

Also, it makes no sense to have tools that might or might not be working.
Even if the tool isn't expected to be required, it makes sense to know
whether or not it is available.

- Andrew