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PSA: A lead tech in Phoenix called me out on my wire routing
I was working on a G1000 install in a Cessna 182 last month, and my lead saw how I ran the main data bus bundle. He said, 'Pat, that looks clean now, but you're asking for a chafe point in six months when the airframe flexes.' He was right. I had it pulled tight against a frame member with zip ties every six inches, textbook neat. He showed me how he leaves a full inch of slack loop at each major bulkhead pass-through, even if it looks a bit messy in the bay. I tried it on the next job, a panel upgrade in a Piper. It felt wrong to leave that extra wire, but when we did the post-install ops check and were moving the control surfaces, I could see the bundle move freely. No tight spots. Has anyone else had a senior guy change their mind on something 'by the book' that actually works better in the real world?
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the_andrew1mo agoMost Upvoted
That slack loop trick saved my bacon on a Mooney annual last year.
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paul2511mo ago
Oh man, that's such a good point. It's like they teach you to make it look perfect for the photo, but real planes move and vibrate. I've started doing the same thing with sensor wires, leaving a little extra slack near any connector. It feels sloppy until you realize you're saving yourself a huge headache later when something needs a tweak.
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