3
Had a passenger ask me if I could 'just tighten the bolts' while I was doing a preflight in Atlanta
I was doing a walkaround on a CRJ-900 at Hartsfield last spring and this guy in a suit walks up from the gate area. He watches me for a minute then asks if I could tighten the bolts on the landing gear because they looked loose. I told him those are engineered to have some play and he goes 'well my truck's suspension doesn't rattle like that.' I had to stop and explain that a 80,000 pound plane hitting the runway at 150 mph needs a little wiggle room. He just shook his head and walked off saying he'd complain to the airline. Still cracks me up thinking about that guy comparing aircraft landing gear to his F-150. Any of yall ever deal with passengers who think they know more than the mechanics?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
dakotawood15d ago
Sounds like that guy was running on fumes, not facts.
8
daniel_lane3017d ago
Wait wait wait, he dead serious compared landing gear bolts to his truck's suspension? That's wild. I mean I get it, people see metal parts and think they know what's tight and what's not. But those bolts on a CRJ have a specific torque spec and a designed amount of play for a reason. You don't just snug them down like you're changing a tire on a Saturday afternoon. That guy probably thinks his brake pads are the same as carbon ceramic rotors too.
0