Whether it's a comparatively simple system (a leading-edge vane operates a switch to complete an electrical circuit and sound a horn or illuminate a bulb), or a complex system (which generates signals to activate a stick shaker), a properly operating stall warning system can prevent you from having a really bad day. Back in the dark ages when I was learning to fly in a Cherokee 140, the routine was for someone to turn on the master switch and watch to see if the stall warning red light illuminated when the person doing the walkaround flicked the vane protruding from the left-wing leading edge. When the bulb did light, it produced a reassuring feeling. No thought was given to the possibility that the test had caused the bulb to reach the end of its life, and it wouldn't work when really needed.
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