Mystery tools inside airplanes
Re: QBs
Yep - I think everyone needs to remove those floors - if for no other reason than to check the torque and workmanship on the entire airplane.
Re: found inside planes
I used to own a pokey little Piper Colt with some friends. At one point we we're having a problem with low oil pressure and if I recall correctly the problem was a worn face where the oil pressure relief spring was installed. Our mechanic recommended a nearby highly rated (and high $ ;-)) engine shop to do the work, because they could machine the bad face without tearing down the engine. I flew the plane the tenish miles from my home airport and left it with them to do the work. When I did my preflight the next day to fly the plane home, I found an 18" mag lite sitting on top of the cylinders and a rag in the airbox. Not ideal, but mistakes happen.
Re: scary mechanic stories
Last year when I was hanging the engine on my RV, I had scheduled time with some friends to help with the 'push and prod the engine' while I get these $%^& bolts into the rubber mounts. While prepping the night before, I realized that Van's had accidentally included two bolts that were too short. No problem I think - I'll just head down to this airport and ask around to buy some correct bolts. Well at home I keep my bolts all nicely organized and bolts that are galled, have questionable history, been overtorqued etc go in the trash. I would have expected an FAA repair station (especially the 'top tier' engine place) to have similar standards on inventory management. By was I surprised - the place was happy to sell me the correct bolt, if only I could find it: In the parts room their AN bolts were all haphazardly dumped in a series of bins with bolts that had clearly been pretty damn used in with the new virgin stuff.
I found a bolt that was 'almost' (i.e. not good enough) right - it was like 3/16" short. I said that it wouldn't do because the threaded portion would be down in the hole. The fellow helping me said, that's no problem - we make substititions like that all the time. At that point I decided a rush order with AS&S was needed. ;-)
Suffice it to say, I now know there is a lot more to a good shop than a red carpet, @ss kissing and a fancy paint scheme on the engines.