Inspection Time

Vyctor gets the walk around 

Each time before Vcytor goes up in the air, Lizzy must inspect her plane.  

What's she looking for?

Well, anything that could signal danger while taking-off, up in the air, or landing.  This could be anything from contaminated (dirty) fuel to low tire pressure.  

Lizzy has a visual checklist she needs to complete before she can start Vyctor up and get ready to fly.  

Let's follow her around as she completes Vyctor's virtual inspection.

Are you curious to know more?

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Step #1: Observe the weather  

Before Lizzy even thinks of flying, she needs to take the weather into account.  If the winds are too high, the clouds are too low or a storm is on its way, then Lizzy can't fly.  

Lizzy and Stella are going to feel any adverse (bad) weather.

Did you know...? The height of the clouds refers to the ceiling.  
Low ceiling = low clouds

Why is this important?

The clouds affect a pilot's visibility.  
Visibility = how far & clearly a pilot can see

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Step #2: Observe Vyctor

Once Lizzy's done checking the weather report, she's going to check Vyctor.  She's looking for any visual signs of damage to her plane.  

​Plane's experience wear and tear over time, so Lizzy needs to make sure there's nothing seriously wrong with her plane that could make it too dangerous to fly.  

Lizzy does this by walking around Vyctor's exterior (outside) and checking a few key parts.  

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Lizzy's main checklist includes:​

1. Weather - Lizzy always checks the weather to know if it's safe to fly

2. Vyctor's fuel quality and quantity - his fuel is stored in his wings
Quality = the cleanliness of the fuel - (dirt + water)
Quantity = how much fuel there is  

3. Landing gear - Lizzy wants to make sure Vyctor's three tires are inflated (hard) and the wheels are securely attached.  This is really important for take-off and landing.  

4. Ailerons - these are the movable surfaces on Vyctor's wings that control his side-to-side movements and allow Lizzy to perform stunts.

Close to the ailerons on Vyctor's wing is a small tube called a "pitot static tube" and despite its small size, the pitot static tube actually plays quite a large role since it affects Lizzy's instrument readings.  
Lizzy needs to make sure there's nothing blocking this air intake tube.  If any bugs or debris, like dirt, get in there then Lizzy's air speed indicator won't work properly.  She always needs to make sure air can pass through this small tube. 

5. Rudder - think of the rudder like Vyctor's tail.  Lizzy wants to make sure there's no damage since this controls Vyctor's "yaw" by fine tuning his side-to-side movements during take-off and landing. 

​6. Elevator - you probably already know what an elevator is and that it carries passengers up and down.  An elevator on a plane has a similar function.  Vyctor's elevator, located at the back of the plane, lets Vyctor and his passengers travel up and down. 

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Lizzy doesn't just know how to fly, she also knows how to make us laugh.  She keeps us entertained as she does Vyctor's walk around.  

​Check out this video of Lizzy inspecting her plane:

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Join us next time as Lizzy and Stella go inside the cockpit and get ready to fly.

Are you ready to join them? ​

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