PSA: I had to pick between a $150 torque wrench and a $400 one for a job on a Cessna 172

So the shop I work at in Daytona had this Cessna 172 come in for an annual, and the prop needed to come off. My personal torque wrench was out for calibration. The boss said I could either use the shop's old, beat-up clicker that everyone doubts, or order a new digital one from the tool truck for about $400 out of my own pocket. I went with the old clicker, but I checked it against a known-good gauge first. It was off by like 8 foot-pounds at the setting I needed. I adjusted for it, got the prop torqued, and signed it off. It worked, but I spent the whole next week feeling uneasy about it. Has anyone else had a moment where using the 'good enough' tool just didn't sit right, even when it technically passed the check?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakotal167d ago

That doubt never really goes away, does it?

allen.william7d ago

Oh, it moves in and just pays rent.