Always check your flight controls BEFORE starting your engine

The worst thing I've found is after an annual, where the mechanic left an
engine hoist chain attached to my engine, but cowled it up! Yes, I checked
the oil and filler prior to departing, but there was no way to see the chain
through the inspection door.

Considering it is an aerobatic plane, I did not roll it inverted on the way
home, which would have been my normal practice to see if anything shook
loose. It was the last time I went to them for anything.

In article
,
Orval Fairbairn wrote:

In article ,
John Smith wrote:

I always check my brakes, right then left, immediately upon rolling
forward to taxi.
I once had a non-functional right brake and could only make left turns
to get back to the parking spot. Had I been a little quicker on the
uptake, I would have parked it right away and had the tug push it back
into its spot.

You should be able to detect a bad brake when the pedal goes all the way
forward.

It was solid until the first hard push for the right turn out of the
parking spot. It then went to the floor as the airplane was 45-degrees
into the turn.