Finally got that stubborn nose gear door actuator off a King Air 200

It was on a pre-buy inspection in Boise, and the actuator was seized solid. I tried heat, I tried penetrating oil, nothing moved it. After three hours, I made a custom tool from a piece of scrap steel and a big socket to get the right angle and torque. The thing finally broke free with a loud crack. Anyone have a better trick for those old, frozen actuators?

3 comments

3 Comments

susanh463mo ago

See this same stubbornness in people who refuse to update their old ways.

west.alice3mo ago

Isn't it just fear of looking dumb, @susanh46? They'd rather be wrong than feel like they're starting over.

stellafisher1mo ago

Wait, didn't you used to think that the whole "you have to unlearn everything" thing was overblown too? I remember reading a post from you a few months back where you said people just needed to add new skills instead of tossing out the old ones. That conversation actually stuck with me because I was exactly the same way - I thought my old methods were just fine and everyone else was being dramatic. Then I tried to teach my nephew how to do something the way I'd always done it and realized half my steps were just muscle memory from a bad system I'd never questioned. Now I'm the one telling my coworkers to stop clinging to their dusty flowcharts.