Keeping Wheel Spats Clean
Clean wheel spats make oil and fuel leaks obvious – clean dirty spats with the green-handled spray bottles in the hangar, especially on ZK-KAZ and ZK-KAL.
1 min readKapiti Aero Club safety team
Keeping our aircraft wheel spats clean – especially the nose wheel spat – is an important part of maintaining aircraft safety.
A clean spat makes a fluid leak immediately obvious. Engine oil often shows up on the nose wheel spat and can be spotted during a pre-flight inspection. If the spat is already dirty or heavily stained, it's very hard to tell old grime from a fresh leak, and a developing issue can go unnoticed.
If you notice a dirty wheel spat, please clean it with one of the provided spray bottles and a rag. The spray bottles have a green handle and are kept next to the engine oil inside the hangar. If you haven't used them before, ask an instructor to show you how.
This is particularly important on ZK-KAZ and ZK-KAL, where fuel can sometimes find its way onto the spats due to over-priming – so cleaning these may occasionally become a daily task. Thanks for helping keep the fleet clean and in a condition where any issues can be identified early.