ATA 32

Old man winter is almost here and its time to check and service the nose strut on your aircraft to prevent the rash of in-transit lights that occur. The light remains active after the gear is retracted because the strut does not have the correct amount of air and fluid pressures. During the summer months the strut often has air added to it with acceptable results; in winter, however, the air does not expand due to the cold, and the low fluid levels cause the gear not to come into contact with the light switch. In short, we recommend that you clean and service the strut NOW before the snow blows and you take off with your gear hangin out.

Tire pressure should be checked with a calibrated dial type gauge, the best time to check is before first flight or three hours after last flight.
Landing gear oleo strut seal leaks are caused by grit and pitting that accumulates on the exposed chrome strut piston during normal operations. Operators should perform a preflight wipedown of the oleo struts first with a dry cloth and secondly with a clean cloth dampened with 5606. This will help prevent premature strut seal leakage and will lower overall landing gear maintenance costs.