Just realized torque wrenches are way more forgiving than the old timers claim

I read the FAA AC 43.13-1B last week and it says torque values have a fairly big tolerance range, like 5-10% either way most of the time. Guys in my hangar act like missing by 1 ft-lb will ground the plane, but the actual spec is way looser than that. Has anyone else actually checked the book instead of just trusting the shop talk?

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the_jessica15d ago

Wait, is your hangar full of the same guys who swear by "feel" and then strip bolts on the regular? I checked the same AC last year after getting heckled for using a beam style torque wrench, and it honestly made me laugh. The book basically says you have room to breathe, but the old timers act like they’re calibrated machines with x-ray vision. I’ve torqued plenty of stuff in the middle of the range and never had a issue, while I’ve seen those same guys snap heads off because they went full send “to be safe.” The spec is the spec, and it’s a lot more forgiving than the locker room talk, that’s for sure.