Realized my safety wire game was weak after 11 years in the hangar

Been doing safety wire the same way since my first A&P job in Tucson. Last week an old inspector walked by my work on a Cessna 172 and just said 'son, that's pretty, but it's backwards.' He showed me the twist direction thing I'd been messing up the whole time. How many of us learned from a crusty old timer and never questioned it until someone calls it out?

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brooke7117d ago

That "pretty, but it's backwards" comment hit me right in the gut when I read it, because I had the exact same thing happen with a fuel line about six years ago. The old timer who taught me in the first place had me twisting the wire the wrong way for the same reason, we both thought it was fine since it looked tight and neat. But the actual rule is the pigtail needs to pull in the direction that tightens the bolt, and I had it set up to loosen things if the wire ever let go. I spent a whole afternoon redoing every clamp and fitting on that bird, and now I always double check by tracing my finger along the wire to see which way it pulls before I call it done.