A chat with an old pilot changed how I see a simple wire check

I was doing a pre-flight on a Cessna 172 last Thursday, going through the usual pin checks on the main harness behind the panel. A retired airline captain, Mr. Ellis, was hanging around the hangar and asked what I was up to. I gave my standard 'just checking continuity' line. He paused and said, 'You know, for twenty years, I never thought about the person who last touched those wires. I just trusted they felt the connection, not just saw the number on a meter.' That stuck with me. I realized I'd been so focused on getting a green light on the tester that I'd stopped really feeling for a solid pin seat in the connector. The next day, I slowed down on a G1000 avionics rack install and actually wiggled each pin by hand after the meter beeped. Found two with just a tiny bit of play I would have missed. Has anyone else had a simple piece of advice shift a routine task for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark4367d ago

Damn, that's a solid point.

wood.eric7d ago

Consider how much muscle memory plays into it. You get used to the resistance of a good bolt, so a spongy one feels wrong before you even think about it. That gut check is its own calibration.

blair_taylor327d ago

Had a foreman tell me something similar about torque specs on a service panel. I was just hitting the click on the wrench and moving on. He said the sound is a guide, but you gotta feel the bolt seat. Started doing a final pull check with a regular wrench after the torque wrench clicks. Caught a few that felt spongy even though the wrench said they were good. Makes you realize how much we trust the tool over our own hands sometimes.