Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 65; Flight Crew Type 12000
Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General Maintenance Action
Aircraft; Procedure; Software and Automation
Our originating aircraft was towed from remote parking to the gate. I observed no pitot covers on the aircraft; but the probe heat switch streamers were attached to probe heat switches on the overhead panel. This led me to consider that the pitot tube covers had possibly been removed prior to the aircraft being towed from remote parking; which would require further inquiry. About ten minutes prior to push; Ground Ops personnel tapped on the side of aircraft to notify us that the pitot tube covers were removed. I inquired if they were removed prior to towing the aircraft from remote parking. I was advised that no pitot tube covers had been installed overnight due to a shortage of pitot tube covers in ZZZ. I called Dispatch/Maintenance to discuss this in reference to [document]. Chief Pilot was also advised. We decided to have contract maintenance inspect the pitot tubes to ensure no wasps had built any nests overnight. We pushed 29 minutes late due to the lack of probe covers in ZZZ to enable compliance with [document].From a Safety perspective; if wasps are still a concern in ZZZ; why were pitot heat covers not installed in accordance with [document]? If we had not made careful inquiry; we would have never known that pitot tube covers had not been installed and the first indication of wasp nests would have been with an IAS DISAGREE alert on takeoff; which would have required either a reject over 80 knots (possibility of aircraft being unsafe to fly) or flight with Airspeed Unreliable with an overweight landing or burning off approximately 25;000 lbs. of fuel to allow for landing within landing weight. It seemed to me that Ground Personnel in ZZZ were not clear on the requirements of the [document]; not only because the pitot tube covers were not installed; but also because the Ops Agent seemed to be confused on whether or not the probe heat switch streamers were to stay on the aircraft or with Station Personnel.
Captain noticed that pitot/static covers were not installed per policy documents and requested maintenance perform a visual inspection of the pitot tubes and static ports for wasps.