Definition
A sharp-pointed hand tool used to puncture, scribe, separate, or pry small components during aircraft maintenance, such as removing O-rings, seals, cotter pins, or safety wire, or marking layout lines on metal.
Plain English
A small pointed tool that mechanics use to poke, lift out, or pry loose tiny parts that can't be grabbed with fingers or pliers.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft fabric covering, fabric repair, and fabric inspection discussions where the weave or thread count is being described.
Derivation
From Middle English 'picken,' meaning to pierce or prick. The tool is named for its pointed tip, which 'picks' at small parts the way a beak picks at food.
Why Pilots Care
Fabric-covered aircraft depend on the correct fabric material and weave. Understanding pick helps when reading fabric specifications, repair instructions, or inspection notes.
Analogy
Think of woven fabric like a simple grid. The picks are the threads that run across the grid from side to side.
Intuition Check
Pick does not mean choosing something here. In fabric wording, it means one crosswise thread in the weave.
Example Sentence 1
The mechanic used a pick to lift the old O-ring out of its groove without scratching the sealing surface.
Example Sentence 2
A small pick helped clear the corrosion from the rivet heads along the fuselage belly.