A retired inspector in Anchorage told me something about paperwork that I still think about

I was working a night shift on a 737 in Alaska last winter, and an old inspector named Walt was watching me sign off a routine tire change. He leaned over and said, 'Kid, your signature is the most expensive part on this plane.' He meant that if you sign for work you didn't do or check, you're betting your license and the whole aircraft on it. That stuck with me every time I pick up a pen now. Has a simple comment from someone else ever changed how you handle your daily tasks?

3 comments

3 Comments

robert_craig26d ago

Got a similar talk from a shop teacher once. Now I triple check my own coffee maker before signing off on the morning brew, which explains the daily delay.

jakef6626d agoMost Upvoted

That daily coffee check is basically building a personal pre-flight routine. It makes you slow down and spot things you'd miss on autopilot, like a loose part or low water. Wonder if that habit of forced pauses makes you better at catching errors in other daily tasks too?

terry_walker5d ago

My pre-flight routine is checking if I remembered to put coffee in the machine at all. @jakef66 might be onto something with those forced pauses!