Talking to a 30 year A&P guy at Oshkosh last summer got me thinking about older repair methods

He said something about how we lean too hard on digital troubleshooting now and miss the simple stuff like listening to the engine for clues. Has anyone else found that older mechanics had tricks that just work better sometimes?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles6787d ago

Those older guys can hear a bad bearing from 50 feet away. Try pulling the cowl off and just listening with a long screwdriver to your ear sometime, you'll catch stuff the computer flat out misses.

derek_ramirez7d ago

Honestly I used to be the guy that thought all that old school stuff was just old guys being stubborn, but man I totally changed my mind after a buddy of mine had me just put a hand on a vibrating engine mount. I mean you can feel exactly where the problem is before you even plug in a scanner. There's something about putting your hands on it and just using your ears that gives you a feel for the whole plane, not just a code. It's not about ditching the computer entirely, it's about using both together. Idk, I feel like you miss a lot if you just stare at a screen all day.