A QC inspector's comment on my rivet spacing saved me from a costly redo

Last month in Atlanta, a QC guy pulled me aside after I finished a skin patch on a CRJ. He said, 'your edge distance is fine, but your rivet pitch looks too tight near the stringer.' I was annoyed at first, but I measured it and he was right, I was rushing to beat the clock. I went back and re-spaced them to the manual spec, which added about 90 minutes to the job. Has anyone else had a QC callout that actually made you slow down and check the book more often?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot_patel1mo ago

Hold up, he caught that just by looking? That's wild. Usually QC is all about the edge distance and hole size, not eyeballing the pitch like that. I've seen guys walk the line with a scale and still miss a tight spot near a stringer, especially when you're fighting the clock. That inspector must have some sort of calibrated eyeball or something. Honestly, i probably would've been hot at first too, but a callout that specific is a gift, saves you from a headache later when the skin starts working. I gotta say, that's the kind of QC guy you want on your side, not the one who just stamps the pink tag.

alexk601mo ago

Calibrated eyeball is right, man. How do you even spot a tight pitch that fast without a scale in your hand? That's some next-level stuff right there.