That time I stopped chasing torque specs and saved my back

I was torquing down landing gear bolts on a King Air 200 last month and kept fighting with a crows foot in a tight spot. Got frustrated after the third try and just used a regular wrench with a sharpie mark at the angle I needed. Called up a buddy who works Gulfstreams and he laughed, said half the old timers do that for access panels. Problem was the crows foot kept slipping off the ratchet head in that cramped wheel well. The sharpie trick got it tight enough to pass the final torque check with a standard tool. Anyone else ditch the specialty tools when the manual gets in the way?

2 comments

2 Comments

emeryfox1mo ago

WHOA hold up, you passed a FINAL torque check with a sharpie mark? That's wild, man. I gotta be honest, that makes me a little nervous because torque is torque and guessing always feels wrong. But I totally get the crows foot slipping nightmare, those things are the devil in tight spots. I've seen guys do the same thing on older Cessnas and swear by it, but for landing gear? That's a whole different level of trust in a magic marker. I guess if the check came back good then it worked, but my back would still be sore from all the second guessing.

brookerobinson1mo agoMost Upvoted

Right, because nothing says "landing gear reliability" like a grease pen and a prayer. All it needs now is a "good enough" sticker and we're good to go.