That Wednesday last month where everything just clicked

I work line six at a regional hangar in Phoenix and we had this one day where nothing broke. Like literally no snags came through from the ramp crew and we got to do actual scheduled maintenance for once. We were replacing a flap actuator on a CRJ and every bolt came out clean, no corrosion, no stripped threads, the IPC matched perfectly. It felt weird because normally you expect at least one fight with a fastener or a part that doesn't fit right. The senior guy I was working with even said "this is the smoothest job I've had in two years" around 2 PM. By 5 o'clock we had the whole thing buttoned up and tested with zero write-ups. I keep thinking about that day and wondering if the universe was just paying us back for all the bad ones. Has anyone else ever had a shift where the stars just align like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sean1mo agoTop Commenter

Man that's exactly the kind of shift you remember forever. I had one like that back in April where I was replacing a fuel pump on a 737 and everything just lined up. The part was on the shelf which never happens, the access panels all came off without stripping, and the torque values hit perfect on the first try. My buddy kept looking at me like we were waiting for the other shoe to drop but it just never did. We finished two hours early and sat around drinking coffee for the rest of the shift. It's wild how rare those days are but when they happen it almost makes you forget all the headaches.

sagesingh1mo ago

Wait, are you saying that shift really made you forget all the headaches? I'm not sure a single good day can wipe out months of busted knuckles and bad parts. The thing is, @the_sean, those perfect shifts are so rare they almost feel like a dream. Next week you'll probably be fighting a seized bolt or waiting on a part that's backordered for three weeks. It's nice to have one easy day, but I wouldn't go around thinking it changes anything in the long run.