Back in '08 I'd torque a Cessna 172's prop bolts with a 3-foot cheater bar and a prayer, but after a scary vibration on a test flight out of Daytona, I switched to a calibrated torque wrench and haven't looked back.

Anyone else have a 'close call' that made you completely change a routine task?

2 comments

2 Comments

Yeah, that grinding noise is a hard lesson. After something like that, the extra 30 seconds for the dipstick feels like nothing.

wesley1398d agoMost Upvoted

Man, that'll do it. I used to eyeball the oil level on my old bike, just a quick check. Then I ran it almost dry on a long backroad haul. Locked up solid. Now I use the dipstick every single time, no exceptions. That grinding noise still haunts me.