Use this Airbus A320 simulator walkaround checklist to inspect probes, gear, engines, wings, tail, doors, leaks and ground equipment before start.
During an Airbus A320 walkaround in a flight simulator, inspect the aircraft in one continuous route for damage, leaks, open panels, blocked probes, forgotten covers or pins, tyre and gear condition, engine obstructions, wing and control-surface condition, and an unobstructed APU inlet and exhaust. Finish by confirming doors and ground equipment match the pre-start configuration.
In general flight simulators, the available detail depends on the aircraft model. A basic A320 may provide only animated doors and landing gear, while a system-rich add-on may model covers, pins, failures and ground services through its electronic flight bag (EFB). This is a simulator procedure rather than approved guidance for dispatching a real aircraft.
A practical Airbus A320 simulator walkaround checklist
Use the same clockwise or anticlockwise route every time so that no engine, landing-gear assembly or aircraft side is missed.
- Establish a safe aircraft state. Load the intended panel state, fuel and payload, then allow the add-on to finish initialising. Keep the engines shut down and the aircraft secured by chocks, the parking brake or both. The APU may be running, so treat its inlet and exhaust as active areas.
- Inspect the nose and forward fuselage. Check the radome, cockpit windows and surrounding skin for obvious damage. Verify that pitot probes, static ports, angle-of-attack vanes and the temperature probe are clear of covers, ice or other obstructions.
- Check the nose landing gear. Inspect both tyres, wheels, shock strut, steering components, lights and gear doors. Look for obvious deformation or leakage, and make sure no tow bar or unplanned ground equipment is attached.
- Follow the right fuselage aft. Check passenger, service, cargo and avionics doors as applicable. Look along panel lines and the lower fuselage for an open hatch, collision damage or a simulated fluid leak.
- Inspect the right wing. Check the leading edge, slats, upper and lower wing surfaces, spoilers, aileron, flaps, flap-track fairings, wingtip, lights and static dischargers. Control-surface positions should agree with the selected configuration and hydraulic state; a slight droop without hydraulic pressure is not automatically a fault.
- Inspect engine 2. Confirm that the intake and exhaust are clear and any engine cover has been removed. Examine the intake lip, visible fan blades, spinner, nacelle panels, pylon and reverser area. A fan may rotate slowly in the wind, but there should be no visible damage, foreign object or unexplained leak.
- Check the right main landing gear. Inspect both tyres, brake assemblies, shock strut, hydraulic lines, doors, safety pins and chocks. Exact strut extension changes with aircraft loading, so look for obvious asymmetry rather than judging it against an arbitrary camera angle.
- Inspect the aft fuselage and tail. Check the horizontal stabiliser, elevators, fin, rudder, tail cone and remaining static dischargers. Verify that the APU inlet and exhaust are unobstructed and that no stairs, vehicles or personnel are positioned in an unsafe area.
- Return along the left side. Repeat the full checks for the left main gear, left wing and engine 1. The two sides are not identical, so inspect the actual doors, panels and fittings instead of assuming the first side covers both.
- Complete a final departure sweep. Confirm that probe and engine covers are removed, flight-related gear safety pins are out, refuelling equipment is disconnected and required doors are closed. A steering bypass pin may correctly be installed for pushback, but it must be removed before taxi. Chocks, the tug, GPU, stairs and jetway should match the exact stage of the departure.
Pair the exterior inspection with our downloadable pre-start checklist for the A320-200, while giving the procedures supplied with your particular aircraft add-on priority.
Which walkaround checks can a flight simulator model?
A simulator can reliably show only the exterior states and system failures implemented by its aircraft developer.
| Check | Best verification method | Common limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Doors, panels, covers and pins | Exterior model plus the EFB or ground-services page | Some models show these only as animations with no system consequence |
| Tyres, gear and engine condition | Exterior view plus any maintenance or failure menu | Pressure, wear, small leaks and component damage are often not represented |
| Ground equipment | EFB state and exterior view | Cosmetic vehicles may not interact with the aircraft |
| Doors, fuel and active faults | ECAM indications and cockpit controls | An exterior camera cannot clear a latent system fault |
After returning to the cockpit, reconcile the exterior state with ECAM door indications, fuel quantity, flight-control configuration and active messages. Our guide to reading the A320’s main controls and displays explains the indications used for that cross-check.
What mistakes make an A320 sim walkaround unreliable?
The biggest errors are an inconsistent route and treating every visual detail as a simulated defect.
- Jumping between camera views and accidentally checking one engine or main-gear assembly twice while missing the other.
- Expecting every flight-control surface to sit perfectly neutral when the hydraulic systems are depressurised.
- Calling every stain or drip a fuel or hydraulic leak. Water from air-conditioning or drain outlets can be normal, and many simulators use weathered textures that have no failure attached.
- Trusting the exterior model without checking the EFB, ground-services controls or ECAM status.
- Completing the inspection before refuelling or boarding, then failing to recheck the doors, panels and equipment that changed afterwards.
What should stop engine start or pushback?
Do not continue when a cover blocks an air-data probe or engine, an inlet contains an object, a flight-control surface is visibly damaged, a required door or panel is open, or refuelling equipment remains connected.
A simulated fuel or hydraulic leak, landing-gear damage, an unexplained major asymmetry or a related ECAM fault also needs resolving. Chocks, a GPU, a tug or a steering bypass pin are not automatically discrepancies; their acceptability depends on whether the aircraft is parked, starting or actively being pushed back.
When should you perform the A320 walkaround?
Perform the main walkaround after loading the intended aircraft state and before the first engine start, followed by a short close-out check after servicing has finished.
Repeat the affected areas after a hard landing, simulated bird strike, maintenance action, failure reset or any change that could have altered the external configuration. Our explanation of the full normal A320 checklist sequence places the exterior inspection in context with cockpit preparation, engine start and the before-taxi checks.