I learned the hard way about safety wire direction on a 737 flap track

A lead mechanic at O'Hare watched me wire a bolt backwards for 10 minutes before saying anything. He just sighed and said "you're twisting it the wrong way, son" and walked off. Anyone else have a moment where a small mistake made you feel like a total rookie?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam_anderson1mo ago

I remember reading about a similar situation on an aviation forum years ago. A guy was installing cotter pins on a Cessna and kept putting them in the wrong way around, the lead just shook his head and said "the castle nut won't care but the FAA inspector will." That moment of quiet watching must sting worse than getting yelled at, because you know they were just testing your attention to detail.

james5331mo ago

Happens all the time with stuff like that, people watch to see if you catch your own mistakes.