I guarantee you that in three minutes, you do NOT check "every screw, bolt
and connector".

You are fooling yourself if you think that three minutes is sufficient
time for a preflight inspection.

Well, maybe it's my familiarity with the bird. No, I'm not checking the
torque of every bolt, but I do use the fuel tester Phillips screw driver to
check screws for tightness. And I always sump the tanks, and check the
oil.

Additionally, I visually inspect every control surface hinge and manually
move each control surface, checking for proper hinge pin placement, etc.
On my plane, it's not possible to "open the engine up" (like we used to do
in our Warrior), so that saves me a bit of time, too. (Time I'd rather
spend, quite frankly; our one-piece fiberglass cowl may look better than the
Warriors, but I sure miss being able to visually inspect the engine before
each flight.)

I have no idea what could take more than 3 - 5 minutes, unless you find
something suspicious. Hopefully, that's a rare occasion, indeed.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"