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✈️ C172 – BEFORE TAXI INTERIOR- PREFLIGHT FLOW

PASSENGER BRIEFING

Seatbelt use

Exit procedure

Comm use

Motion sickness

Looking for traffic

🛫 COCKPIT SAFETY & SETUP

Alternate static

Parking brake - Set

Seat - Adjusted

Master - ON

Beacon - ON

Nav lights - ON (ADS-B)

Circuit breakers - IN

Fuel selector - BOTH

Insert key - Do not turn

COLD VS. HOT ENGINE START

COLD ENGINE START if oil temp not in green

COLD ENGINE START *if oil temp not in green*

Mixture - FULL RICH

Throttle - CRACKED

Fuel pump - ON (3 - 5 gallons per hour) then OFF

Mixture - LEAN

Check surroundings

Shout - "CLEAR PROP"

Starter - Turn key, engage (max 10 seconds)

Mixture - RICH to FULL gradually

Oil pressure - GREEN

Throttle - 1200 PRM

Mixture - Lean for max RPM

Throttle - 900 RPM

Avionics - ON

Headset (noise cancelling) - Check

HOT ENGINE START

Throttle - CRACKED

Check surroundings

Shout - "CLEAR PROP"

Starter - Turn key, engage (max 10 seconds)

Mixture - RICH to FULL gradually

Oil pressure - GREEN

Throttle - 1200 PRM

Mixture - Lean for max RPM

Throttle - 900 RPM

Avionics - ON

Headset (noise cancelling) - Check

PRE-TAXI

Flaps – UP

Transponder - 1200

GPS - ON

Set radios - top to Tower, bottom to ATIS and Ground. (KSMO example: Tower 120.10, ATIS 119.15, Ground 121.90).

ATIS - Copy with information letter

Altimeter - Set and verified

Contact Ground - (Listen first, then say: “Santa Monica Ground, [tail number], request taxi from [Southeast] Parking to Bravo Five run-up, with Information [ATIS]”

ATIS examples

Weather

https://aviationweather.gov/ and https://metar-taf.com/

ATIS example (METAR without remarks) :

https://storage.tally.so/aa7bd41a-f18a-43f9-81a6-b085fe099c2c/Screenshot-2026-01-27-at-12.02.57.png

At Santa Monica Municipal Airport on the 27th at 19:51 Zulu time, winds are calm at 000 knots, visibility is 10 statute miles with clear skies, the temperature is 22°C, the dew point is –7°C (very dry air), and the altimeter setting is 30.25.