Found a trick for cotter pin removal at a hangar in Phoenix

I was working on a Cessna 172 at a small hangar out near Deer Valley Airport last month. This old mechanic named Dave walked over while I was fighting with a stubborn cotter pin on a landing gear bolt. He just grabbed a pair of diagonal cutters, snipped the head off, and then used a small punch to drive it through from the other side. Took him like 10 seconds. I had been wrestling with it for 15 minutes trying to pull it out with pliers. Now I never even bother trying to grab the loop anymore. I just clip one side and push it through with a drift pin. Has anyone else picked up a random trick like that from someone you barely know?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_julia1mo ago

Did this Dave guy actually show you the punch size or just wave his hand at it?

roseb621mo ago

My uncle Fred pulled this SAME trick on me once when he was showing me his toolshed. He kept saying "the bit is right there" while pointing at a dusty corner, but all I saw was a pile of old rags and a coffee can full of screws. Turns out the "bit" was a 3/8 inch drill bit that was UNDER the rags the whole time. I spent 15 minutes staring at that corner like an idiot before he finally walked over and picked it up. Made me wonder if Dave was just as bad at showing people things as my uncle.