Boeing is having a rough time of it right now, with parts falling off its planes left, right and center. Just last week, a wheel came loose and smashed through a car, and earlier this year the door from a 737 Max aircraft broke off mid-flight. That mid-air disaster sparked an audit from the Federal Aviation Administration, which has gone far from well.
I’m also Class 3 certified and where I come from inspection will absolutely measure clearances if it’s not obviously within spec. And even then there are many that still do just to cover their own ass. God help them if QA steps in and gets a different measurement.
I have no doubt different facilities run differently. Just look at Boeing. But don’t assume they’re all run like a circus just because you worked somewhere that doesn’t do things by the book.
I’m not saying we played fast and loose with the spec. I’m saying that there are plenty of places where the actual spec doesn’t use numbers and it is a judgement call for example minimum lead protrusion.
There are also plenty of places where a number is given but it is not possible to measure such as barrel fill on through hole components. In those situations an inspectors best bet is to eyeball it and if it’s even questionable to rework and correct the process so it isn’t. You don’t eyeball it when it’s close, but you also don’t need to measure, for example, lead protrusion on every lead when they all apear to be definitely under 1.5mm.