{"id":25048515,"date":"2026-09-27T11:10:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T09:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/remove-before-flight-red-tags-aircraft-pitot-gear-pins-explained\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T11:10:55","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T09:10:55","slug":"remove-before-flight-red-tags-aircraft-pitot-gear-pins-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/fr\/remove-before-flight-red-tags-aircraft-pitot-gear-pins-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Remove Before Flight: What the Red Tags on Aircraft Really Do"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n<p>Walk around any aircraft parked on a ramp and you will see them fluttering in the breeze: long red ribbons printed with three words in white capitals. REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT. They hang from pitot tubes, landing gear, engine intakes and ejection seats, and they have become so iconic that you can buy them as keyrings and luggage tags.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Behind the souvenir, they are a serious piece of safety equipment. Each ribbon marks something that keeps an aircraft safe on the ground and could kill its crew if left in place for flight. And despite the bright colours, history shows that people do still forget them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f5f7;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:8px 0 28px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;line-height:1.7\"><li><strong>What:<\/strong> Red warning streamers attached to devices used only while an aircraft is on the ground<\/li><li><strong>Typical items:<\/strong> Pitot tube covers, landing gear pins, gust locks, engine intake blanks, ejection seat safety pins<\/li><li><strong>Weapons:<\/strong> Missiles and ordnance use similar pull to arm tags<\/li><li><strong>Nickname:<\/strong> Red tag items, checked by ground crews against a checklist<\/li><li><strong>Key lesson:<\/strong> Streamers are only a reminder; the pin or cover itself must be positively confirmed removed<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What the Red Tags Protect<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Each tag is attached to a device that does a job on the ground. Pitot tube covers keep insects, dust and water out of the probes that measure airspeed. Landing gear pins mechanically lock the gear down so it cannot retract while the aircraft sits on the ramp or is being worked on. Gust locks clamp the control surfaces so the wind cannot slam them about. Intake blanks keep debris out of engines.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>In a fighter, the most important pins go into the ejection seat. They stop the seat and its explosive charges firing by accident while ground crew or pilots climb in and out. They are removed before flight and fitted again once the aircraft is back on the ground.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/mq-1-predator-red-tags-ground.jpg\" alt=\"Predator drone with remove before flight streamers\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A US Customs and Border Protection Predator drone on the ramp, with remove before flight streamers hanging from its pitot probes and other ground equipment. Photo: Beige Alert \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5f8FbxjgRWQ\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Captain Joe explains what the remove before flight tags on an airliner are for. Video: Captain Joe<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">When Covers Are Not Removed<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The worst accidents linked to ground equipment show why the system exists. On 31 March 1975, a Royal Nepal Airlines Pilatus PC-6 Porter crashed just after taking off from Kathmandu, killing five people, among them Louise Hillary and her daughter Belinda, the wife and daughter of Sir Edmund Hillary. According to Elizabeth Hawley&#39;s biography, as cited on Wikipedia, the pilot, who was running late, did not do a walk-around and failed to notice that an aileron was still secured by a ground lock.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>On 2 October 1996, Aeroper&uacute; Flight 603, a Boeing 757, crashed into the Pacific off Peru, killing all 70 people aboard. Adhesive tape had been left over the static ports after the aircraft was cleaned and polished. The instruments gave the crew false airspeed and altitude, and the transponder sent the same false altitude to air traffic control. That tape carried no red streamer at all, which is precisely the point: anything that blocks a sensor has to be impossible to miss.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WoFtEUGOxvQ\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Mentour Pilot tells the story of Aeroper&uacute; Flight 603, brought down by tape left over the static ports. Video: Mentour Pilot<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Streamers Are Not Enough<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Even with bright red ribbons, pins get missed. On 21 June 2021, a Qantas Boeing 787 departed Sydney with its landing gear downlock pins still installed. The crew could not retract the gear and returned. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation drew a clear lesson for the whole industry.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Streamers are supplementary warning devices.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Australian Transport Safety Bureau<\/strong> &mdash; investigation report into the Qantas Boeing 787 VH-ZNH gear pin occurrence, as cited on Wikipedia<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In other words, a streamer is a reminder, not a procedure. The ATSB stressed that crews and engineers must confirm the pin itself has been removed rather than trusting that a missing ribbon means a missing pin.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Positive verification of pin removal, rather than reliance on streamer visibility alone, is essential.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Australian Transport Safety Bureau<\/strong> &mdash; on the Qantas 787 occurrence, as cited on Wikipedia<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/remove-before-flight-tag-concorde-f-bvfa-udvar-hazy.jpg\" alt=\"Remove before flight tag on Concorde landing gear\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A remove before flight streamer on the landing gear of Air France Concorde F-BVFA at the Smithsonian&#39;s Udvar-Hazy Center. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">From the Ramp to the Keyring<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>A 2008 Canadian Transportation Safety Board investigation into a Hughes 369D helicopter crash found that an engine intake cover without prominent warning streamers had become entangled with the controls, contributing to the accident. It is the same story from another angle: the red tags work only if they are on every item and checked every time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Pilots and ground crews count them. That is why pilots and ground crews check them on every walk-around. And for everyone else, the ribbon has become a symbol of aviation itself, sold on keyrings and bags worldwide.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Buwybbr3jcU\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">An aircraft engineer explains remove before flight tags. Video: AIRCRAFT ENGINEER<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Remove before flight, Aeroper&uacute; Flight 603, 1975 Royal Nepal Airlines Pilatus PC-6 Porter crash), Australian Transport Safety Bureau, FlightGlobal<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What does Remove Before Flight mean on an aircraft?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Remove Before Flight is a warning printed on red streamers attached to devices that are used only while an aircraft is on the ground, such as pitot covers, landing gear pins, gust locks, engine intake covers and ejection seat safety pins. Each must be removed before the aircraft flies.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why are remove before flight tags red?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Remove before flight tags are bright red, usually with white lettering, so that ground equipment attached to an aircraft is highly visible during the walk-around. The streamers are a warning device; crews must still confirm that the pin or cover itself has been removed.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What happens if a landing gear pin is left in?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">If landing gear downlock pins are left installed, the gear cannot retract after takeoff. On 21 June 2021 a Qantas Boeing 787 departed Sydney with its gear pins in place, could not raise the gear and returned. The ATSB stressed positive verification of pin removal.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What caused Aeroperu Flight 603 to crash?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Aeroperu Flight 603, a Boeing 757, crashed on 2 October 1996 because adhesive tape had been left over its static ports after cleaning. The blocked ports gave false airspeed and altitude readings, and all 70 people aboard were killed when the aircraft struck the sea off Peru.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What are ejection seat safety pins?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Ejection seat safety pins lock the seat and its firing mechanism so it cannot be triggered by accident while pilots or ground crew are in the cockpit. They carry remove before flight streamers, and must be removed before flight.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How did the Hillary family plane crash in 1975?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 31 March 1975 a Royal Nepal Airlines Pilatus PC-6 Porter crashed after takeoff from Kathmandu, killing Louise and Belinda Hillary among five aboard. According to Elizabeth Hawley&amp;#39;s biography, the pilot skipped the walk-around and failed to notice an aileron still locked by a ground lock.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What does Remove Before Flight mean on an aircraft?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Remove Before Flight is a warning printed on red streamers attached to devices that are used only while an aircraft is on the ground, such as pitot covers, landing gear pins, gust locks, engine intake covers and ejection seat safety pins. 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According to Elizabeth Hawley&#39;s biography, the pilot skipped the walk-around and failed to notice an aileron still locked by a ground lock.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/cad-pad-aircraft-explosives-expiry-dates-ejection-seats\/\">CAD\/PADs: Every Fighter Jet&#39;s Explosives Have an Expiry Date<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bak-12-runway-arresting-cable-land-based-fighter-tailhook-explained\/\">BAK-12 Arresting Cable: Why Land-Based Fighter Jets Have Tailhooks<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/squawk-codes-explained-1200-7000-7400-7777\/\">Squawk Codes Explained: 1200, 7000, 7400 and 7777<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The red REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT ribbons mark pitot covers, gear pins and ejection seat pins. What they protect, and the accidents that show why they matter.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":25047803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25048515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Remove Before Flight: What the Red Tags Really Do | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Remove Before Flight tags mark pitot covers, gear pins and ejection seat pins. 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