Debate: should we torque bolts by the book or by feel?

I was in the hangar last Tuesday when a senior mechanic told me he never uses a torque wrench on interior panels because "you can feel when it's tight enough." He's got 20 years experience and his work never fails inspection, but our manual says every bolt needs a specific value. Is there a middle ground here, or is feel just asking for trouble down the line?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantadams24d ago

Totally agree man, I do the same thing on non-critical stuff all the time.

riverreed24d ago

Yeah @grantadams, once you realize most decisions can be fixed or changed later it takes so much pressure off... just gotta pick something and roll with it.

walker.max24d ago

Ask him if he uses the same "feel" method for torquing the lugnuts on a 737 wheel hub. Oh wait, I already know the answer - that's why that one guy's tire ended up rolling down the taxiway last spring. Sure, interior panels won't kill anyone, but manuals exist for a reason: because someone's "feel" was wrong once and it cost WAY more than buying a torque wrench.