Old-timer told me to stop using contact cleaner on everything, he was right

Guy named Red who's been doing avionics since the 80s yelled at me for spraying contact cleaner on a connector that just needed a re-crimp. Saved me $60 in unnecessary parts and a return trip to the hangar last Thursday. Anyone else get humbled by a senior tech over something simple?

2 comments

2 Comments

sams251mo ago

Reminds me of the time an old radar guy stopped me from swapping out a whole transponder because the indicator light was flickering. Told me to check the ground wire first. Turned out it was just a loose screw on the back of the mounting rack. Would have cost the company nearly two grand in parts and paperwork for nothing. Sometimes the simple things are the ones that get you.

lewis.mila1mo ago

Used to roll my eyes at people who spent hours chasing ground loops and loose connections before even thinking about swapping parts. Thought they were just being overly cautious or old school. Then I spent three days troubleshooting a PLC that kept throwing random faults, replaced the whole module, and it turned out to be a corroded terminal block right next to the enclosure door. That little penny part cost me a full weekend and made the old timers look pretty smart.