Hit my 5,000th fastener removal today and almost missed it

I was working on a Cessna 172 flap track this morning and just casually pulled out a screw when my lead mechanic taps my shoulder and says congratulations. I had no idea I was logging my 5,000th fastener removal since I started as an A&P apprentice last year. This whole time I have been keeping a little tally on my phone just out of curiosity since I used to strip screws all the time early on. The first hundred or so were a nightmare with stuck Phillips heads and broken bits. Now I can feel the difference in how tight something is before I even touch a driver. Honestly it felt weird to hit that number while doing something so routine. Has anyone else had a moment where you realized you have gotten way better without noticing?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.henry20d ago

Damn, you kept a tally? That's some obsessive dedication.

uma_wilson7920d ago

Yeah that tally thing is pretty intense. @rivera.henry has a point. But did you ever go back to count how many of those 5000 were screws you totally mangled in the beginning?