I finally understood why we torque in sequence after a job in Seattle

We were putting a prop back on a King Air at Boeing Field last spring, and I was rushing to finish before a weather front moved in. My lead stopped me and made me watch him run the torque wrench around the flange three full times, saying 'listen for the click, don't just feel it.' I realized I'd been relying too much on muscle memory and not enough on the process. Now I always do a full visual check of my pattern, even on simple jobs. Anyone else have a simple step they used to skip that bit them later?

4 comments

4 Comments

marydavis2mo ago

My old foreman in Tulsa had a saying about that exact thing.

owens.anthony2mo ago

My uncle ran a crew in Galveston for twenty years. He always said the routine stuff is where real skill shows up, not just when things go wrong. Honestly, I've seen more jobs saved by someone double checking a simple bolt torque than by any fancy last minute fix. Tbh, calling it lazy might miss that sometimes the routine itself builds the focus you need.

reesej272mo ago

Oh man, that's so true. It's easy to get lazy with the basics when you've done something a hundred times. I've caught myself almost skipping the final walk-around check on a tire change because it felt routine, and that's exactly when you miss something.

lewis.mila1mo ago

That story about listening for the click is a good one. It makes me wonder, what's the one routine step you've seen someone else skip that ended up causing a real problem, not just a close call? Seeing someone else's mistake stick with me way more than my own near misses.