A guy in a hangar in Wichita showed me a trick with safety wire from 30 years ago

I was working on a Cessna 172's cowling about six months ago, and I was struggling to get a clean twist on a tricky spot. This older mechanic, who was just visiting, walked over without a word. He pulled a pair of bent-nose pliers from his own kit, did this little roll-and-pull move with his wrist, and got a perfect pigtail in about three seconds. He said, 'They don't teach you to feel it in your fingers anymore, just to follow the book.' It was such a simple thing, but it changed how I handle every wire job now. Anyone else have an old-school trick that just works better?

4 comments

4 Comments

joel_clark373mo ago

Honestly can't believe he just walked over and did that without saying a word first.

robins833mo ago

What would you have wanted him to say first?

ryan_shah381mo ago

Reminds me of when this guy at my old shop rebuilt a transmission without a manual and it ran for years, but @wood.eric is right that sometimes those one-off tricks just don't translate when someone new takes over the next shift. A written step-by-step makes it way easier to train the new guys.

wood.eric3mo agoMost Upvoted

Come on, that "book" is there for a reason. Sure, the old way feels cool, but maybe it just hides sloppy steps. Following the manual makes sure every job is done the same safe way, every time. I get what @joel_clark37 is saying about the guy just jumping in, but that's part of the problem. Those tricks depend on one person's feel, and what if you don't have that guy around to show you? A written procedure anyone can follow is just better and safer for everyone in the long run.