Showerthought: Maybe it's not just me but that old timer at the hangar last week was right about using hand tools over impact guns for panel screws.

He said, 'You strip one more #6 screw and you'll be drilling it out at 2 AM,' and after snapping two screws on a Cessna 172 cowling yesterday I finally get why he swore by a simple ratchet and a steady hand, anyone else ditch impacts for certain jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

logan63212d ago

I had that same lesson pounded into me about ten years ago working on a Piper Archer. The old guy who ran the shop came over while I was lathered up on a stubborn spinner screw with my impact gun. He just shook his head and handed me a #2 Phillips screwdriver and a small ratchet. It took a little longer but I havent snapped a cowling screw since I switched to the hand method for those small fasteners. Those old timers might not know much about modern avionics but they sure know how to keep a thread intact at 2 in the morning.

gray_roberts11d ago

Wait did your buddy ever tell you about the time he borrowed his dad's old impact and turned a fuel line fitting into a pretzel on a Bonanza? That's exactly why I stick with hand tools for anything smaller than a #8 now. The old guys just know better.