That older mechanic at Midwest Air who showed me where the real danger is

Back in 2019 I was fresh out of school working at Midwest Air in Kansas City. There was this older guy named Ed who had been doing sheet metal work since the 70s. He pulled me aside one day while I was struggling with a doubler patch on a Cessna 310 and said 'stop worrying about the rivet spacing and worry about what you can't see.' He pointed to a hairline crack behind the stringer that I had completely missed. That moment stuck with me because he was right - we focus on the obvious stuff and miss the hidden corrosion or fatigue cracks. Has anyone else had a mentor who showed you something that wasn't in the manual?

2 comments

2 Comments

torres.grant10h ago

Did Ed happen to show you where the real danger is in the company break room too lol?

grace_campbell5h ago

Wait, Ed actually took you to the break room and showed you the coffee maker that sparks when you plug it in? Because I saw that thing shoot out a little fireball last Thursday and nobody believed me. I thought that was just some rumor people made up to scare the new hires. But if he really pointed out the frayed cord on the microwave too, then I guess the whole office is basically a fire hazard waiting to happen. Is that why we're not allowed to use the toaster oven anymore? I swear that thing was totally fine until Ed claimed it "smelled like burning plastic" every time someone made a bagel.