19
Showerthought: Sorting through my hangar storage bin was like a trip through time
I finally got around to cleaning out that big metal bin in the corner of the hangar. It was full of old hand tools, some grease-stained paperwork, and even a few leather flight caps. Holding that heavy, simple socket set made me think about fixing planes before everything went digital. My first boss would have us check gaps with feeler gauges and a sharp eye, no fancy lasers in sight. We learned by doing, sometimes making mistakes but always figuring it out. Today, with all the computers and sensors, the job feels different, maybe a bit less hands-on. I'm glad for the progress, but part of me misses the raw simplicity of those days. That bin is organized now, but I kept a few of those old tools on my bench for luck.
4 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In4 Comments
aliceb801mo ago
We do this with SO many things now, not just tools. Every house has a junk drawer full of history. It's like we're trying to hold onto a piece of the past before it all goes digital.
5
max2231mo ago
Found an adjustable wrench in my own junk drawer that's older than I am. Tried to use it on a bike once and just rounded off the bolt. Pretty sure that rusty thing in the bottom is a specialized tool for a car they stopped making in the 70s. My granddad called everything a doohickey. I keep it all as a reminder that I would have been hopeless back then.
1