Shoutout to the lead tech who yelled at me for using the wrong gauge wire on a 737 nav antenna

I was just trying to save time grabbing 20 gauge instead of 22 for a quick patch job and he made me redo the whole harness right there on the hangar floor in front of everyone, has anyone else had a senior guy tear into them over something that seemed small but actually mattered?

3 comments

3 Comments

tarabell27d ago

Oh come on, is this really worth getting that worked up over? You used a slightly thinner wire for a quick fix on a nav antenna, not like you tried to fly with zip ties holding the wing on. I get safety rules exist but reaming someone out in front of everyone for a gauge difference feels like overkill.

the_elliot27d ago

People get real high and mighty about wire gauge like they're saving lives instead of just flexing their ego. Bet most of them have cut corners somewhere too, just got lucky nobody called them out on it.

avery_flores1727d ago

Wait isn't tarabell kinda missing the point though? That thinner wire might handle the signal fine for a quick patch but vibration and heat over time can mess with the connection or even cause arcing in certain spots. I mean yeah the guy could have pulled you aside instead of making a scene but on a plane every little thing actually does matter since youre trusting that thing at 35000 feet. The lead probably sees people cut corners all the time and just snapped because one bad habbit can snowball into something bigger. Maybe it is a bit of an ego thing for some people but id rather have someone who cares too much than someone who doesnt care at all when it comes to wiring.