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Hit 10,000 rivets replaced and nobody cared but me | Aircraft Mechanics - Rigidtalk

Hit 10,000 rivets replaced and nobody cared but me

So I was counting my rivet log from the last 14 months, just messing around on a slow shift, and I realized I hit 10,000 rivets replaced on the 737 flap track fairings alone. That number sounds made up when I say it out loud. Most of those were in a hangar in Tulsa, some on the line during a 2 week stretch in Memphis. I just sat there for a second thinking about all the busted knuckles and sore wrists that went into that count. Nobody on my crew even blinked when I mentioned it. The lead just said okay and walked off. But that number matters to me because it means I have actually done something. Not just turned wrenches, but fixed real stuff that keeps planes in the air. Has anyone else tracked a weird milestone like that? I am curious if I am the only one who keeps a personal count of something dumb but meaningful.

2 comments

2 Comments

lunaw722mo ago

Wait, you actually keep a rivet log and nobody in that whole crew thought that was worth a high five? That's brutal, man. I tracked how many coffee refills I got from the same gas station in a year once and my buddy still brings it up at parties. 10,000 rivets is like the ultimate "I showed up and did the work" flex, and they just walked off like you said you found a nickel on the ground. Honestly, the lead probably couldn't math out how many that is in his head, so he just shut down. Keep that count going, and next time someone says "okay" to a milestone like that, ask them how many rivets they've personally wrestled with in 14 months. Bet it's a lot closer to zero than ten grand.

oscarmurphy2mo ago

Double-check that math though. 14 months of straight work is closer to 420 days, and if you're doing 25 rivets a day, that's just over 10,500, so ten grand is actually a slow week or two. Still impressive, just not the exact number you think it is. But yeah, nobody on that crew gets it, and that's their loss.