Tool Spotlight-Cordless Drills

The cordless drill is one of those things that a Line Mechanic needs to do his daily job. It is as essential as the screwdriver these days. You may think that since we typically do not remove panels and drill rivets out that you can get away without a cordless drill but you would be mistaken. I will say that the drill is not so much used as a drill but as a screw gun. The typical usage for a Line Mechanic would be removing landing light lenses or cover to get at position lights, etc. I have a Hitachi 12V cordless drill which I carry on my golf cart to all gate calls.

The drill came with the light, the apex bits, two batteries and the charger. It also came in a case which I keep it in, in my cart. The one pictured is an 18V but I went ahead and bought the 12V model instead. When I went looking for a drill to buy I wanted to keep it under $100 and I wanted something on the small side of the spectrum. For our work I figured it was useless carrying around a huge, long, heavy drill. Plus a drill my size fits into spaces like the airconditioning bays on the plane and other small spaces quite easily. I went with the 12V because it is the smallest of the Hitachi models (at that time) and it was a lot cheaper than the 14V, 18V or bigger models. I know that a lot of guys would not dare buy a 12V because the higher models provide more...something. We at SWA have been using company provided 12V drills since I got hired so I figured that 12V was good enough. The light has even come in handy, especially working in the wheel wells at night.

Recently the Lithion Ion batteried tools have come out and they are much lighter than the Nicad batteries like the one in my drill. A few of the guys at work have purchased the Makita Impact Driver and Impact Drills.

I like these bad boys! They are real light, real small, and real powerful. They are a little expensive but seem worth the cost of about $200.00. I like the case and we all know Makita is a good brand.

While on the subject of cordless drills there are some people who use them TOO MUCH. I can't tell you the number of times I've had to get out my hammer and large flat bladed screw driver to notch the safety screws on the nose tires because some fool used a drill with a clutch set on like 10 to install them. These screws should be hand tight plus like a quarter turn. I have seen guys use drills to remove and install 1/4 turn fasteners! My all time favorite is removing the wingtip on the 737-300s to replace the position lights only to find out that some goon has installed them with their drill clutch set on 10 or even to drill!! Lets start to think about the next guy when we are working.

To Drill Or Not To Drill

I like my drill I use at work. I have a Hitachi cordless drill and it has worked for me very well. I am an advocate for using cordless drills, they speed up panel removal, etc. I do, however, get into these moods where I do not want to use my drill to remove panels. Occasionally I like to remove screws by hand, it helps me keep touch with the tactile, hands on nature of our profession. I also notice that there are guys at my job who use the drill to remove and install all sorts of screws into all sorts of things. I have seen guys use a drill to remove and install the little screws that safety the nose wheel retainer ring on. Then they wonder why the thing gets stripped out! I have seen a guy use a drill to put 1/4 turn fasteners in! I mean they only require a 1/4 turn of the wrist for goodness sake!

I think the cordless drill is a blessing to our jobs but people should also be able to use a speed handle or ever a screw driver and I'm convinced that some guys do not know how! We all know that even if you have a panel that has 100 fasteners it is easier, and I think smarter, to loosen each one with a speed handle before trying a drill. We all know this and yet time and time again I see guys blasting away with their drill, cussing when they strip out a screw head, and loathing having to go back and try easy outing the screw.

I know that I am an old fashioned type of guy and that there are cool new easy-outs now that almost always work, but I still reach for the old speed handle. Of course I am also finishing up before most because I do not have to drill out screws because of stripped heads.

This thought was not really about speed handles but rather simply using hand tools now and then. Once a long time ago I was changing a forward position light on a 737-300. I had my speed handle going and my ratcheting screwdriver and I was happy as a clam. One of the other RON mechanics was driving by and asked if I wanted to use his drill motor. I told him no thanks and explained that I wanted to do it by hand. He drove off with a confused look on his face and returned later with a drill motor that he left on my belt loader (that should tell you how long ago it was). Apparently by the time he reached the shop he had convinced himself that I was kidding around!

Call me a glutton for punishment but there are times when using a screwdriver makes me feel like I have accomplished something.