TFC Members are required to check the tire pressure for the first flight of each day. Incorrect tire pressures are the most common reason for tires going flat or worse, runway departures. When a tire is incorrectly inflated the tire valve can be severed upon contact with the runway. If the runway surface is wet, dynamic hydroplaning can start at speeds greater than 9 times the square root of the tire pressure. If your tire pressure is too low, you may be hydroplaning before you can takeoff or upon landing. See this article about hydroplaning and tires.
We want to make this as easy as possible for our members. Each plane has prominent displays of the tire pressure for each wheel. You can find these displays in the POH of course. We have also put the tire pressure on placard signs in the cockpit or on the landing gear strut fairings. The tire pressures are also listed in the TFC checklist. In short, there ain't no reason not to know what the tire pressures should be.
Each of the planes contains a log folder in which to record your tire pressure check. Recording the tire pressure variation and activity is essential for our maintenance team to know if a tire is showing any unusual variation and to be sure the pressures are up to date. It's important to check these on the first flight of each day because subsequent flights will be affected by changes in the tire temperature after flight activity.
Equipment Guides:
Each plane contains a Jayco tire pressure gauge. These gauges are more accurate than the simple push-sticks you may have used in the past. The gauges have swivel connectors at both ends so you can view the gauge easily and more easily connect to the valve stem. Once you have sampled the pressure the Jayco gauge will retain the reading until you press the relief valve near the gauge dial. See this video clip for an example of using the Jayco tire gauge.
The key room near hangar 250 is where we keep the tire pump. It is a battery-operated compressor and has special settings that allow you to correctly reach the higher pressures of some planes (like the C210). When you turn the compressor on, you can select the mode as indicated by the vehicle icon ("car", "motorcycle", "bicycle", etc.). To reach the higher pressures click the power button until you see the bicycle icon. Then use the (+) key to reach the desired pressure setting. When you have dialed in the correct pressure, pull the trigger and the pump will automatically stop when it reaches the target pressure. This short instructional video demonstrates the procedure for setting the pressure on the pump.
Please be sure to correctly set the target pressure for the mains and the nose wheel, they are usually different settings. Once you have finished setting the pressures, record your entry in the VOR / Tire Check log and sign your initials. We appreciate your careful attention to this simple maintenance task.