An old timer in the hangar showed me a trick with a zip tie and a flashlight

I was working a night shift in Tampa, trying to find a tiny fluid leak on a 737's hydraulic system. This mechanic named Carl, who's been there for 30 years, walked over and saw me struggling. He took a zip tie, looped it around a flashlight, and hooked it onto a bracket, aiming the beam right into the tight bay. He just said, 'Third hand, kid. Free and it won't fall.' I've used that trick a dozen times since. What's your best simple tool hack for awkward spots?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade6392mo ago

Wait, you were working on a 737 in Tampa at night? That heat and humidity alone would make me quit. My best hack is using a magnet on a telescoping stick to fish out dropped screws, but honestly, your story about Carl is better. That zip tie trick is the kind of simple genius you only get from decades on the floor.

henrys602mo ago

Magnets save lives, man.

calebrivera28d ago

Nah, I gotta disagree a little. That zip tie trick is clever, but it's a band-aid fix for a design that could just be better. A magnet stick works every time without needing to remember some old guy's secret handshake.