“Remove Before Flight” Tags and Their Practical Purpose
- Malcolm Lai
- 3 minutes ago
- 5 min read
On 27 May 2022 at Brisbane Airport, an Airbus A350 was about to depart with all pitot probe covers still in place. The “Remove before flight” covers were unfortunately not removed. Had the plane taken off, its pilots would have been left without reliable airspeed readings, a situation that could have ended in disaster. Fortunately, sharp-eyed ground crew spotted the oversight just in time and sounded the alarm, averting a potential tragedy.
Design Choice.
The “Remove Before Flight” tag is a highly visible marker attached to a temporary safety device, designed to attract attention even when people are busy or distracted, so it can be, as described on the tag itself: be removed before flight.
A “Remove Before Flight” streamer is typically made from durable, high-visibility fabric and conforms to common aerospace standards. This keeps the wording, colours, and shape largely similar across different aircraft and operators, which is important when many teams work together during turnarounds. The tag itself does not protect anything; it is attached to the protective item. Its purpose is to help people notice and remove the covers, especially since these covers are placed on sensitive parts of the aircraft that can be easily damaged or modified by even small mistakes, such as sensor openings and delicate environmental-measurement components. It can be quite hard to miss, which is precisely its point. Recently, our YourSafetyPilot team attended the 10th edition of the Singapore Airshow, where we observed “Remove Before Flight” tags in person across several aircraft types, including some we had not seen before.
What it Protects, and Why.
Some of the uses of these covers are for air-data sensors, particularly pitot probes and static ports. These sensors provide airspeed and altitude data required for takeoff, autopilot, and safety systems. Pitot probes measure air pressure from the airflow, and together with static ports, they let the system calculate airspeed. If a pitot opening is blocked by a cover, dirt, or even an insect nest, the instruments may display unreliable or incorrect airspeed readings, often just as the plane is taking off, when there is little time to react. The same is true for static ports, which give the reference pressure for altitude and vertical speed. If a static port is blocked, altitude readings can be incorrect, affecting automated systems and alerts. If you are a student pilot or pilot, you are likely familiar with the callout ‘airspeed alive’ or a similar phrase. This quick cross-check ensures the airspeed indicator is responding correctly during the takeoff roll. It can help identify major issues early, such as a pitot cover that was left on by mistake. Think of it as an additional safety barrier on top of the plainly obvious, large and red “REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT”.
Covers also protect other critical sensors, such as the angle-of-attack vanes. They keep debris or water out of openings such as engine inlets, air system inlets, and various vents and ducts, depending on the aircraft and local conditions.
Other Use Cases
Operators also use streamer-tagged items for ground configuration control, such as landing gear pins, gust locks, and other safety locks for wind or towing protection. If these restraints are not removed, they can block flight controls or keep a system in a ground-safe mode that is not safe for take-off.
Safety Emphasis
These covers are needed because the risks they prevent are common and expected. In Brisbane, for example, pitot probes on parked planes can attract mud wasps that build nests quickly. This led to the practice of fitting covers during turnarounds, but it also means there must be a reliable way to make sure they are removed before flight.
The 2022 A350 incident, investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, shows how such mistakes can occur in routine operations without a single major failure. The report describes a turnaround where pitot covers were used regularly. Pre-flight walk-arounds were usually conducted about 30 minutes before departure, but company rules required the covers to remain on until about 20 minutes before departure. This meant that crews might see covers during their inspection and assume it was normal, making it less likely they would remember to remove them later unless there was a clear step to check again. The ATSB also assessed how visible the streamers are from typical inspection paths and recommended extending them, since detection depends on both design and attention, not just luck.
The second case study involves a business jet and shows the same initial mistake, but in a different context with more serious consequences. On 3 March 2023, a Bombardier Challenger 300 (N300ER) left Keene, New Hampshire, with a pitot probe cover still on the right side. This led to abnormal readings and a series of crew decisions that ended in an in-flight upset near Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The flight diverted to Bradley International Airport, and one passenger died. The National Transportation Safety Board found that missing the pitot cover set the chain of events in motion, and pilot errors during troubleshooting and decision-making exacerbated the situation. This highlights how “Remove Before Flight” tags fit into the bigger picture of error management and safety.
This case is important because it shows how a single oversight on the ground can lead to problems in the air, especially when the cockpit is already a complex environment. Had the aircraft been airborne, the crew would have had to split their attention among flying the aircraft, diagnosing the problem, and deciding what to do next, often while still in a busy phase of flight, such as take-off.
Another reason covers are important, besides keeping out insects and debris, is that they protect against hidden damage or contamination that might not show up until it causes a safety problem in flight. Pitot probes can be dented, scratched, or contaminated during normal ground work, and angle-of-attack vanes can be damaged by handling near the nose. These parts are fragile and critical; when they fail, they can produce readings that appear correct but are actually incorrect.
Also Seen in Fashion Statements
For people who see these tags as collectables, their real meaning in aviation is much more specific. Interestingly, “Remove Before Flight” tags have also found their way into the fashion world and most notably on Alpha Industries bomber jackets, where they serve as a symbolic zipper pull. A few of us in the YourSafetyPilot team own one! Yet, despite their popularity as accessories, the tag’s true purpose remains in safety.
View more of what we saw on the 10th edition of the Singapore Airshow here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUSvRraie53/
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