c/aircraft-mechanics

Hit 10,000 flight hours last Tuesday without a single write-up for a year

I didn't even notice until I checked my logbook for a training session. Have any of you guys tracked your longest clean streak like that?

2 comments

the_mary•16h ago

Had to pick between a used borescope and a new one on a budget last month

My old scope finally gave out after 5 years. I had about $600 to spend. A used Olympus from a shop in Denver was $550, but a new knockoff brand was $400. I went with the used Olympus and honestly it works great, no issues at all. The image is still good and it saved my inspection on a Cessna 172 cylinder last week. How many of you trust used tools like that over new budget stuff?

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blake_smith•1d ago

3 hours of swearing over a fuel injector line - then I tried the boiling water trick

Spent all morning fighting a stuck fuel injector on a Cessna 172, ended up dropping the whole line in boiling water for 2 minutes and it came off easy. Anyone else got unconventional hacks that actually work on stubborn parts?

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skyler_anderson65•3d ago

TIL about a hidden hangar at PDX that's holding vintage airframes from the 60s

I was doing a sheet metal repair job at Portland International last month and one of the senior mechanics mentioned a spot off the north ramp. Turns out there's this old hangar tucked behind the cargo area that has like 4 or 5 planes from the 60s and 70s just sitting in there. They're not even gutted or nothing, just covered in dust. I asked who owns them and nobody really knew. Has anyone else stumbled across weird storage like this at their airport?

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margaretw41•5d ago

Had to pick between a Snap-on and a Harbor Freight torque wrench for weekend work

I was doing a cylinder compression check on my buddy's Cessna 172 last Saturday and realized my old Craftsman torque wrench was way off. I went with the Harbor Freight one since I only use it a few times a month, and so far it's held up fine on 4 different engines. Anyone else use cheaper tools for GA stuff or is that asking for trouble?

2 comments

nina_clark•5d ago

That vintage tool swap meet in Sacramento was a goldmine of knowledge

I spent last Saturday at the old aircraft mechanic swap meet near the Sacramento Executive Airport and it was eye-opening. An older gentleman had a table full of nothing but vintage feeler gauges and thread files, and he showed me how to properly true a warped flange on a Continental O-470 without buying a new part. Have any of you found that old school methods actually save money compared to just ordering replacements?

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johnthompson•7d ago

Wasted $200 on a cheap torque wrench set from a tool truck...

Bought this off-brand torque wrench set from a tool truck that rolled through six months ago. Thought I was saving money, paid $200 cash for it. Used it three times and the calibration drifted like crazy - I could tell my fasteners were feeling off. Took it back to the truck when it came around again and the guy basically shrugged and said no refunds on clearance items. Lost the whole $200 and had to spend another $350 on a real CDI torque wrench that's been solid ever since. Has anyone else gotten burned by those tool truck specials that seem like a deal but end up costing you more in the long run?

3 comments

nathan545•7d ago

Had that one week where three planes showed up with the SAME broken bracket

Last Tuesday I got a Cessna 172 with a cracked engine mount bracket, no big deal, swapped it out in about 4 hours. Then Wednesday another 172 rolls in with the EXACT same crack in the same spot on the mount. I'm thinking okay, coincidence. Then Thursday a third one comes in from the same flight school with the same issue. I called the school and found out they all had a hard landing on the same runway last month but nobody wrote it up. Anyone else ever see a pattern like this where no one reported something obvious?

2 comments

spencer_moore39•8d ago

The Tuesday that three planes all had the same problem

It was a Tuesday about two years ago. I had three different aircraft come in that day, all with the same stubborn issue, a faulty landing gear position indicator on the nose wheel. First was a Cessna 172, then a Piper Cherokee, and finally a Mooney. Each one showed the same intermittent warning light. By the time I got to the Mooney, I had the troubleshooting steps down to about 12 minutes. The breaker panel on that third plane had a loose ground wire that was barely hanging on. Has anyone else had a day where a single problem just seemed to follow you around from plane to plane?

2 comments

felix155•8d ago

Saw a crack in a spar cap on a Cessna 172 at Oshkosh last year that changed how I do walkarounds now

It was just a tiny hairline thing near the wing root that a guy in a blue shirt pointed out with a flashlight and now I carry a magnifying glass in my bag for every preflight, anyone else picked up a weird habit from a random encounter?

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wren826•10d ago

Was dead set against digital torque wrenches until I had to do 30 fasteners on a GE90 in one shift

I used to swear by my old click-type Snap-On. Thought digital was just for guys who didn't trust their feel. Then last November we had a rush job on a 777 and I had to torque 30 something bolts on a fan case and my hand started cramping halfway through. Borrowed a digital from the lead mechanic and it beeped at me for each one. Went way faster and I didn't miss a single spec. Still keep my click for smaller jobs though. Anybody else cave on digital or am I the only holdout?

2 comments

thompson.robin•11d ago

TIL a dirty fuel nozzle can make a Cessna 172 run like a lawn mower on 3 cylinders

Helped a buddy at KADS yesterday, his 172 was sputtering worse than my old truck. Took us like 20 minutes to find it was just junk in the injector. After a quick clean with some solvent, it purred like a kitten on the runup. Any yall ever had a simple fix that took way too long to find?

2 comments

jordancoleman•14d ago

Hit 1,000 engine removals this month without a single dropped tool

Took me about six years to get there, but what surprised me was the final job was a simple 172 oil change, not some big overhaul. Anyone else find their milestone moments happened on the most routine stuff?

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thompson.robin•15d ago

A lead mechanic at Frontier pulled me aside after my first engine swap

I was fresh out of A&P school, working at a small MRO in Boise. This old guy, Mike, saw me struggling with a torque wrench on a Pratt & Whitney PT6. He just said 'slow down, you're fighting the bolt, not turning it.' That single line changed how I approach every fastener now. Has anyone else had a mentor give you that one piece of advice that stuck?

2 comments

beth_hart68•16d ago

That whole "don't use WD-40 on aircraft" rule needs a reality check

Heard a guy at the Parts & Rep selling point in Las Vegas last week telling a new mechanic to never ever use WD-40 on anything. Look, I get the official line, but I've been using it to free up stubborn lockwire clamps on Cessna 172s for 15 years with zero issues. As long as you wipe it clean and don't spray it near bushings or seals, it works fine. Anyone else quietly bend the rule now and then?

2 comments

ryang77•16d ago

Had a situation at RDU last month that split the crew on whether to go with OEM gaskets or aftermarket ones on a 737

We swapped out a pack valve on an NG and the aftermarket gasket started weeping after just 12 cycles, but the supervisor says the OEM ones cost triple and we've had good luck with the cheap ones for years so which side are you on, has anyone else seen this kind of failure?

2 comments

grant.jason•16d ago

I finally stopped ignoring torque values on landing gear bolts

An old-timer chewed me out last Tuesday for snugging a main gear bolt by feel instead of looking up the spec. Turns out I was over-torquing by about 15 foot-pounds on every job for the last three months. Has anyone else had to unlearn a bad habit from a single piece of feedback?

2 comments

jesse_cooper•18d ago

Swapped out my old inspection mirror for a telescoping one with a light

I was working on a PT6 engine at the hangar in Wichita last Tuesday and couldn't see the back of a compressor blade. Tried my standard mirror and it was no good. Spent 20 minutes borrowing a telescoping lighted mirror from a coworker and saw the damage clear as day. Turns out there was a tiny nick that would have been missed otherwise. I ordered my own that night for $35. Anyone else have a tool upgrade that saved them a big headache?

2 comments

the_miles•19d ago

That first time I saw a turbine blade after 5,000 hours vs a fresh one was wild

I was helping tear down a PT6 at a shop in Boise last month and the difference in blade erosion from just normal wear was way more than I expected - like a nub compared to a perfect curve. Has anyone else noticed certain engines that seem to hold up way better over time, or is it mostly just luck with how they were run?

2 comments

miles277•24d ago

That time a QC inspector told me my rivets looked like 'spider webs'

I was working a night shift at a regional hangar back in 2021, replacing a section of skin on a CRJ. This new QC guy walks over, shines his light at my row of rivets, and says 'those look like spider webs, man'. I had been doing this for 8 years at that point, and nobody had ever called my work anything close to that. He said the edges were too rough and that I needed to ream them out more before driving. Has anyone else had a QC inspector nitpick something that felt totally unfair?

2 comments

maxmurphy•26d ago

Spent four hours tracking down a vibration in a 737 only to find a loose penny in the tailcone bilge area.

The penny was just sitting there rattling around, and it took me, two leads, and a brand-new apprentice that whole afternoon before somebody finally thought to check the lowest point in the fuselage, has anyone else ever found something dumb like that hiding in an odd spot?

2 comments

cole_robinson•26d ago

Debate: torque wrench calibration frequency - yearly or per 100 cycles?

Had a Pratt & Whitney JT8D engine mount bolt snap on me last Tuesday over in Memphis while torquing it down. I always follow the manual and calibrate yearly, but my lead says we should do it every 100 cycles which feels like overkill. The bolt failure was from stress cracking, not a tool error, but now I'm second guessing. How often do you guys actually send your wrenches in, and have you ever had a failure tied to calibration drift?

2 comments

the_eva•27d ago

Am I the only one who prefers manual torque wrenches over digital ones?

Honestly, I know everyone is switching to digital torque wrenches for accuracy, but I stick with my old Snap-on clicker type. Last week I was torquing landing gear bolts on a 737 and the digital one I borrowed kept beeping at me for no reason, so I went back to manual and got it done in half the time. Has anyone else had issues with those digital readouts freezing up?

2 comments

skylercooper•28d ago

Had a 30 year A&P tell me I was overthinking my engine inspections last week

He said I spent too much time staring at borescope photos and not enough time checking the oil filter for metal, and now I switched up my whole routine - anyone else get called out for focusing on the wrong thing?

2 comments

taraw16•29d ago

Spent 6 hours tracking down a hydraulic leak on a Cessna 172 that turned out to be a cracked O-ring smaller than my pinky nail

What's the longest you've ever chased a simple problem that should have been obvious but somehow took forever to find?

2 comments