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Talked to a retired TWA mechanic at a diner in Wichita, and his view on modern manuals made me pause.
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shane_wilson5mo ago
So what'd the mechanic actually say?
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margaretc425mo ago
Well now, hold on a minute. Those extra pages save lives. That old "check for leaks" line could mean ten different things to ten different guys. Today's flowchart makes sure a new mechanic in Anchorage does the exact same check as one in Miami. It's not about lawsuits, it's about making sure nobody misses a step because the manual was too vague. My nephew's in training now, and he says that detail is what keeps him from making a guess.
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troyc175mo ago
My buddy Dave, who fixes old Cessnas, said the new digital checklists are like 300 pages you can't even fold to mark your spot. He showed me a paper manual from 1978 that just said "check for leaks" in like three steps. The new one had a whole flowchart just for the fuel cap.
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