That time a pilot told me my wiring was 'too clean'

I was working on a King Air 350 at a small FBO in Wichita about 4 years ago. I had just finished a full avionics retrofit, redoing all the wiring with proper lacing and neat bundles. A senior pilot walked through, took one look, and said 'This looks like a museum piece, not an airplane. How am I supposed to trace a fault in the air with all that tidy nonsense?' He was dead serious. I told him I'd rather spend extra time upfront than have him chasing broken wires later. He walked off muttering. I still think neat wiring is safer. Anyone else run into this 'too clean' attitude from the flight crew?

3 comments

3 Comments

adamthompson28d ago

Oh man, that’s too real. I had the exact same thing happen when I rewired a 172 for a buddy at a small airport in Nebraska. Spent like two days making everything perfect with zip ties and spiral wrap. His mechanic flew in, took one look, and said, “This is way too tight. If I gotta swap a radio in the dark, I’m just gonna cut all this out anyway.” I was so annoyed. Like, sorry for trying to make your life easier down the road? I still stand by neat work every time. Less chafing, less corrosion, less headaches for everyone.

michael_coleman1026d ago

Yeah but is it really that big a deal either way...

the_william28d ago

Wait, wait wait, hold on. That guy actually said your work looked like a museum piece? Like that was a bad thing? I would have been speechless. You spend all that time making sure everything is laced up right and secure, no loose wires flopping around, and the complaint is that it's TOO clean? That has to be one of the funniest things I've ever heard from a pilot. They always want stuff that works, but then they get mad when it looks like it works. I get that they want to trace stuff fast in the air, but a messy rat's nest is way harder to follow than a neat bundle of wires that all go the same way. Plus, like you said, chafing is a real killer on planes, and neat work stops that before it starts. That guy was just grumpy he couldn't find something to complain about, honestly.