George Gould, an A&P/IA at Scholes Field in Galveston, Texas, noted that the most overlooked preflight item is a tire pressure check.
“I tow disabled aircraft every month because of flat tires caused by tire failure from low pressure,” he said. “The tubes chafe and get a leak. Students, instructors, and ATPs all have this problem. Some don’t know what the pressure should be.”
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I fly several aircraft (SE Cessna 100 series mostly). Some belong to my employer, some to FBO’s I’ve rented from, some belong to a volunteer organization that I fly for. A tire pressure gauge, along with a fuel tester and multiple flashlights are part of my ‘kit’. It’s very common for me to find tire pressures 10, 20, and in one case over 30 lbs below the POH numbers. TP on the mains of a Cessna 182 model R are 42 lbs. On a couple of occasions when picking up the aircraft from the FBO I’ve found the pressures at 32 lbs in the mains immediately after maintenance (100 hour or annual). Maybe the mechanic used to work for Les Schwab and was accustomed to airing up car and light truck tires? Of course, cold weather can also cause tire pressure decline if the aircraft sits awhile.