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PSA: my old mentor told me torque wrench calibration was optional. He was wrong.

Had a landing gear bolt snap on a Cessna 172 last month because I trusted his advice and skipped a $75 calibration check. Anyone else have a senior mechanic give you bad habits that you had to unlearn?
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2 Comments
kai_park
kai_park1mo ago
Calibration every six months is cheap insurance compared to a gear collapse. Learned that one the hard way too.
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rubyschmidt
Holding off on calibration for a year and a half is probably fine for most general aviation planes if you're not doing IFR approaches or flying in marginal weather. My old 172 had a compass that was off by 8 degrees and nobody even noticed until the annual. Gear collapse seems like a stretch unless you're really abusing the system or ignoring obvious warnings.
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