That one lead mechanic who swore by zip ties on everything

I had this old-timer at my first shop in Tulsa, must have been 30 years in. He used zip ties for everything, even safety wiring clamps that were screaming for lock wire. One day I watched him zip tie a fuel line bracket on a King Air 200 and I asked him why not use the proper clamps. He just looked at me and said 'it's held for 15 years, kid, don't overthink it.' It bugged me for weeks because our lead inspector would have flipped if he saw it. Has anyone else run into mechanics who just do their own thing no matter what the manual says?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant_allen852d ago

Am I the only one who's pretty sure that guy could zip tie a whole engine together if you gave him enough time? I once watched a guy use zip ties to fix a loose panel on a Cessna and he looked me dead in the eye and said 'if it breaks, you won't feel a thing.' I couldn't tell if he was joking or just that confident in his work. Honestly, I think some mechanics just enjoy the chaos.

thomasshah2d ago

Yeah, that 'if it breaks, you won't feel a thing' line is pretty dark but also kind of the standard joke for guys who trust zip ties too much. I read an article once about a guy who tried to zip tie a helicopter's rotor blade fairing and got written up hard for it. Old habits die hard but manuals exist for a reason, even when the zip tie holds for 15 years.

amy_foster792d ago

My old instructor in Tulsa had zip ties holding up a headliner in a 152 for three years, swore it was part of the plane's personality. Did he ever replace it? Nope, just added another one when it sagged.