Aviation From My Rocking Chair

Hello again, my friends. I have a confession to make. Most (not all) of the columns I’ve produced for this newsletter were originally written 20-25 years ago and updated as needed. It seems my old material is about exhausted, so…buckle in and cinch up tight as these new flights of fancy may be bumpy.

Last week I was looking in my toolbox intending on writing about the most important tool I have. Is it the wrenches? How about screwdrivers, drills, hammers, ratchets? Talk about an impossible chore and a dumb idea for a column. As I was idly holding a pair of safety wire pliers, it struck me that it wasn’t the tools, but the hands that use them!

I love anything mechanical and hands are the ultimate mechanical wonder. However, if you are anything like me, the only time you think of your hands is when they are hot, cold, or hurt. Let’s take a little closer look at these ultimate tools.

Each of our hands contain 27 bones, 20 forearm muscles (15 of which actually move the hand), 11 muscles in the hand to move the fingers, 33 tendons attaching muscles to bone, over 100 ligaments holding bones together, 3 main nerves along with hundreds of branch nerves which actuate the muscles and provide our sense of touch.

Unlike most animals, we have 4 fingers, and an opposable thumb on each hand. And what is an opposable thumb? Try this; Turn your hand palm up and with your thumb, touch your little finger and then your ring finger. Notice how the fingers oppose the thumb. The ability to do that is called opposable and makes our hands “prehensile,” or able to grip objects. Objects such as; scalpels, babies, jackhammers, control sticks, throttles, or the love of your life’s hand. Forgive me a philosophical moment as my brain struggles with this column and my hand forms the letters and sentences exactly as it is told, right or wrong.

Let me conclude with asking you to be very careful with your hands. Keep them warm, wear gloves to protect them from injury and harmful chemicals. Read all tool instructions, and be alert to where your hands are at all times. As a proud , blue collar mechanic I have always bragged, “I work with my hands.” Yes, I do, but, the truth is, so do we all.

That will do it for another month, Troopers. If you have questions I might help answer, please feel free to contact me, and remember; blue side up/brown side down.

Rick Vaux TC4130 P.S. Check out YouTube Institute of Human Anatomy.