TIL my old boss was right about the 10 minute rule for fault finding

I was talking to a guy who used to run a shop in Mobile, and he said if you can't find a fault in 10 minutes, you need to step back and check the basics again. I always thought that was dumb and rushed, but last week I spent 45 minutes chasing a phantom comms issue on a G1000. I finally stopped, went back, and found a loose ground strap on the airframe side of the firewall I'd skipped. It was right there. Has anyone else had a simple rule like that actually save them a ton of time?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakotam1718d ago

Oh man, that rule is a lifesaver! My personal record is two hours wasted on a bad fuel gauge. I replaced the sender, checked the wiring, the whole deal. Turns out I never flipped the avionics master back on after a quick break. Felt like a total genius, let me tell you. That ten minute rule forces you to stop the panic spiral. Your brain just locks onto the complex fix and ignores the stupid simple thing right in front of you. It sounds obvious, but stepping away for a minute is the hardest part.

luna55018d ago

My last one was a loose oil cap for forty minutes.