I would guess the school requires the students to learn how to twist safety wire with Duckbill pliers......... what a waste of time!
If the student plans on being a professional aircraft mechanic after completing school, he need a real good quality 1/4" drive 12 pt socket set, and also 3/8" drive 12 pt. Cutters (diagonal cutters) and duckbills and needle nose also need to be good quality, all of these tools will be used more than virtually anything else, whether it is a large aircraft or small, helio or fixed wing. Most everything else, you can get by with cheaper stuff till you see what is most needed.
Charles
My dad is an AMT. From what he tells me he uses a lot of 12 pt. 1/4" SAE sockets, ratcheting wrenches, diagonal cutting pliers, needle nose pliers, duckbill pliers, and a ratcheting screwdriver.
Plus auto wire twisters, speed handle, and 1/4" air ratchet.
All good advice.
Here's my opinion on tools.
Snap-On stuff:
Ratchets (or any good pro brand, really)
4 way wrenches - also called 30-60's, only snap-on has these angles, and trust me, the other angles offered will leave you hanging. Watch ebay, you can piece a set together WAY cheaper than on the truck. I'm about $150 into a $400 set.
safety wire pliers - they're milbars, BUT if you get them from snap-on and it breaks, you go to the truck, swap them out, and you're up and running again. If you get them from most other places, you send them in and wait for them to be warrantied. I'm on pair #4, so the extra money snap-on charges is worth the quick swap to me. If snap-on isn't easy for you, just buy the milbars from whatever source you find. Also, the ones with rubber in the jaws keeps you from dropping loose wire in some god awful place to retrieve it from. I recommend a 6" pair to start.
For the rest:
Sockets 1/4" and 3/8" shallow and deep, 12 point. Me, I use craftsmans, they've worked fine the last 8 years, I've seen no reason to change. Get a decent quality set with warranty, take your pic on brand. WARNING: If you think of getting SK sockets, be sure to look inside the deep sockets. The sets I had, had a "ring" partway up the inside of the socket. Under normal use, not an issue. However, on a stud with a jap nut on it (damn common on many planes), since the stud was a larger diameter than one with a regular nut that size, it would not pass through the ring in my deep sockets, making them worthless.
1/4" drive, 12 point swivel sockets. I much prefer snap-on. You don't need these to start, but you'll quickly see why you want them. If there's a few sizes you use often, buy them new, then scrounge the rest of the set piece-by-piece on ebay. You can get them for about 50% of retail. It took me 3 years to get my set done, so don't rush it.
Wrenches...1/4"-1 1/4" to start I would say. I have a combo set (craftsman pro), ratcheting combo set (gearwrench). These with the 30-60's from snap-on would be what I would recommend to start with.
After that, a stubby set, box end set, service wrench set, tappet wrench set, and 12pt tubing wrench set would be my recommendation, but you don't need these to start.
For brands...same as sockets, whatever you get at a good price with a lifetime warranty. Craftsman quality-up. I have C-Pro, Proto, gear wrench, snap-on, regular craftsman, grip (service wrenches).
Pliers...good set of diagonal cutters. I highly recommend the large knipex pair (great for big cotter pins), and the long, skinny, lighter duty snap-on ones (great for safety wire in tight places, smaller cotter pins).
Duckbill pliers are another recommendation, personally, I like duckbills with no teeth so they don't mar things, but it's all preference.
Knipex plier wrenches also come in handy not just for fasteners, but straightening sheetmetal, pressing bolts in/out, squeezing small rivets, etc. You don't need these to start with, though.
I would get a good straight needlenose, and a long pair of straight needle nose. Eventually, a 45* set is nice, but again, you don't need it to start.
Get good pliers, snap-on, knipex, channelock, etc. You will hate yourself if you don't.
Hammers...I have 8, 12, 16 oz ballpeens (plain old wood handle craftsman). I would get the 12 oz. to start with. Again, get good quality ones, but you don't need to paying for snap-on ones, either. Also get a good plastic tipped one.
Punches...get a good quality set. Personally, I like snap-on. they outlast my craftsman and mayhew ones 10-1. You WILL break punches when dealing with rivets, etc. If you have a truck that shows up where you end up working, it's nice to exchange them right there and be done with it.
Chisels...not often used, nice to have once in a rare while, but not needed right away.
files...get a few quality ones, if you'll be doing sheetmetal, get a vixen file. A needle file set is nice for blending props/turbine blades, etc. I bought a $2 itt set thinking it was a joke, and they're still working fine after 8 years of turbine blades...
I would recommend a 3/8" speed handle for getting bad screws out. 1/4" ones bend too easily for that use. Again, you can probably wait on this until you see what you will be doing.
Air drill. Get a good one, you'll use it often enough. I have a 1/4" CP, cost about $100, half the hangar uses them, they work great.
A 1/4" air ratchet is nice, but not needed right away. I HIGHLY recommend the aircat. You will be using it in very close quarters, and a noisy one will drive you batty. Everybody asks to use mine.
Screwdrivers...get a quality ratcheting one, I prefer snap-on. Get apex tips if you can, they last longer, and don't break/strip nearly as easy as most. For regular screwdrivers, you can start with a craftsman, etc., set. I used mine for 3-4 years, they got the job done. I now have snap-on and they do work much better, but you don't need to spend the money immediately.
there are many other things you will find yourself wanting, but this should be a good start.
