Mentor at my hangar said 'torque it to feels tight' after I asked about a spec

I was working on a Cessna 172 flap track last Tuesday and couldn't find the torque value in the manual for one of the bolts. Old mechanic named Dave walks over, looks at my wrench, and says 'just torque it to feels tight, that's what we did before they printed all those numbers.' I thought he was joking but he was dead serious. He said he's been doing it for 30 years without issues. I ended up finding the spec online anyway and set it to 65 in-lb. Has anyone else ran into this kind of old school thinking on the floor? How do you handle it without starting a fight?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren_smith4415d ago

Did Dave also tell you to time your landings by counting Mississippi?

coleman.jade15d ago

Watched my buddy try this and he ended up planting his feet way too early, then tried to correct midair and almost ate dirt. He definitely said Dave's advice was garbage after that fall. Now he just jumps when his gut says go.