Loading…
27
A 20 year A&P at Van Nuys swore by tapping a bolt with a brass drift before torqueing and I finally tried it last week
I figured it was just old timer superstition until I watched a main gear actuator bolt settle almost a quarter turn after a few taps, so now I'm wondering if anyone else does this on flight controls or if it's mostly a gear thing.
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
wrenstone9d ago
Had a lead on a King Air years ago who did the same thing on prop bolts, just a light tap with a brass drift before final torque. He claimed it helped the washer seat flat instead of cocked. We started checking with a feeler gauge before and after and sure enough some of them had a tiny gap that closed up after tapping. Never saw it on flight control stuff though, those rod ends and hinges are usually tight enough that you'd feel slop way before torque matters. Gear and prop work seems to be where the seating issue actually shows up.
1