Cordless torque wrenches are overrated for flight control work

I keep seeing guys in the hangar ditch their manual wrenches for the digital ones, and honestly I think it's a mistake on control rods and bolts that need a feel for the threads. Last month in Newark I had a stab trim link where the cordless unit clicked at 80 inch-pounds, but the manual beam showed 74, and that slop cost me an afternoon of rework. I've been turning wrenches for 12 years, and you can't beat the tactile feedback when you're torquing into an old castellated nut. Am I the only one who still carries a click-type in their box for anything safety-wired?

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tara_patel22d ago

Totally get where you're coming from. I still keep a beam type in my box for anything with a cotter pin or safety wire. The digital ones just don't tell you when the thread is binding up or when you're fighting old corrosion. That feel is everything on flight controls.