Yes, I know this was an April Fools joke. I am reviving it because I learned something new that I wanted to pass on, and give a playful poke to our Metric pals across the pond:
I have a friend working in europe on aircraft and they use mostly SAE tools. Stahlwille and gedore have aviation sets that are almost all sae with very little metric.
And, of course, NASA is SAE.
Sure Airbus will have a FEW metric fasteners, but the standard for aviation has been set and it is SAE. Aviation requires standardization especially in commercial aircraft. Many carriers use contract operations to handle major inspections, these shops handle Airbus, Boeing, Embraer etc... and are located around the world. Lots and lots of money has been dumped into the testing and approval of aircraft fasteners, connectors, lines, hoses, and fittings. There is no such thing as a simple change. So SAE it is...
I'm sure there are manufacturers outside of the U.S. that is use metric, but there are no metric fasteners (that I'm aware of) that meet the federal code for use in aircraft.
So, you guys who where proudly proclaiming that nothing in your country is anything but Metric, ask a friend who works in Aviation what's in their toolbox and report back, OK? And the next time you fly, remember that it's SAE fasteners getting you safely to your destination.
[big grin] [poke]
