Overheard a guy say safety wire is just 'fancy thread' and I had to walk away

I was at the hangar last Tuesday, doing a 100-hour on a Cessna 172, and this new guy starts talking to the lead about safety wiring a prop spinner. He goes, 'It's basically just thread, right? Why not use zip ties?' I nearly dropped my pliers. I mean, I get that it looks simple from the outside, but there is a reason we do it the way we do. I ended up pulling him aside and showing him how to do a proper double-twist on a bolt head, and his face when he saw how tight it had to be was priceless. Has anyone else had to explain the basics to a newbie who thought they knew better?

2 comments

2 Comments

vera5149d ago

I'll be honest, I used to kinda roll my eyes at safety wire too until I had a bolt back out on me once. One loose prop spinner at 2000 feet and suddenly that "fancy thread" becomes the most important thing in your life.

christopher9438d ago

Gotta disagree, safety wire has saved my bacon more times than I can count on actual hardware failures.