Overheard a young mechanic say 'new planes don't need feeler gauges'

I was grabbing parts at the supply shop last Thursday and heard this kid tell his buddy he never uses feeler gauges because modern engines just use computers. Made me laugh and then feel old. I remember when I started out in 1998 at a regional line in Dayton, every single day started with checking gaps by hand. That skill saved my butt more times than I can count when a sensor was lying to me. Now I wonder how many new guys even know what 0.008 inches feels like with a worn gauge. Has anyone else noticed younger mechanics skipping the old manual checks on their first walk arounds?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_anthony18d ago

Man, that hits different. I was working on an old Cessna 172 once and the computer said the valve clearance was fine, but I double checked with my feeler gauge and it was way off. Sometimes the old ways catch stuff the new stuff just misses.

margaret30417d ago

Isn't it wild how much trust we put in those digital readouts sometimes? I've seen it too many times where the computer says everything's fine but your gut tells you to check anyway. There's just no replacing actually putting your hands on something and seeing for yourself.