Forgot the Safety Wire?

Brake caliper without safety wire.

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This one is found quite regularly. Replacing brake pads is an easy task performed by many builders. However, quite often I see that the bolts are reinstalled without safety wire. There’s a lot of potential movement of the brake caliper due to the high heat that must be dissipated during braking, so safety wire is important. In the first photo you can see that the bolts have drilled heads.

The second photo shows the correct use of safety wire. It’s also acceptable to use a suitable alternative like Nord-Lock washers underneath the heads of the bolts.

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Vic Syracuse
Vic is a fixed-wing and helicopter commercial pilot, CFII with ASMEL/ASES ratings, an A&P/IA, DAR, and EAA technical advisor and flight counselor. Passionately involved in aviation for over 40 years, he has built 11 aircraft and logged over 10,000 hours in 72 different kinds of aircraft. Vic volunteers as a Young Eagle pilot, has his own sport aviation business called Base Leg Aviation, and has written two books on aircraft prebuy and condition inspections.