Old mechanic in Dallas told me I was overtightening everything, and he was right

I was swapping out a brake caliper on a Cessna 172 last Tuesday, and this graybeard guy walks over and goes 'son, you're gonna strip that bolt if you keep cranking like that.' I laughed it off at first (I've been doing this 6 years, you know?), but then he showed me the torque spec was like half of what I thought. Turns out I'd been cranking hardware on general aviation brakes way too tight for months, maybe even years. Has anyone else had a mentor call them out on something basic that just changed how you work?

2 comments

2 Comments

riley_west1mo ago

Is it still a 'mentor moment' if you strip the bolt first and then learn?

rubyschmidt28d ago

Guess it's a stripped bolt and a bruised ego kind of lesson.

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