Just realized half the guys I work with can't read a wiring diagram properly

I was troubleshooting a MEL issue on a 737NG last Wednesday and the junior tech kept probing the wrong pin because he was reading the schematic backwards. This is basic stuff - you have to trace the power flow from source to load, not just look at where the wire goes on paper. I see this mistake on every other job lately. Has anyone else noticed new guys skipping the fundamentals or am I just getting old?

2 comments

2 Comments

andrew_wood721d ago

@the_avery that kid sounds like he's colorblind.

the_avery1d ago

My buddy Mike over at a Delta hangar told me this same thing about six months ago. He was showing a new hire how to read a wiring diagram for the flap system on a 757, and the kid kept trying to read the wire colors instead of following the line number and the pin numbers. Mike said he had to stop and spend 20 minutes just going over the basics of how the schematic is laid out, which is stuff you should know before you touch a plane. Apparently this is becoming more common because a lot of these guys learn from videos or sims and never actually had to trace a real circuit with a meter in their hands. It kind of worries me for the future of troubleshooting honestly.