Maintenance Training from a wife's perspective:
by EJ Blohm

Two words would describe the maintenance training program here at Missionaire: dirty and detailed!

I hold up his blue jeans that resemble a weed wacker hitting an oil slick and ask, "WHAT did you do today!" After several minutes of technical explanation with words like magneto, degreaser, and fuel selector valves, I interrupt and say "That's OK, hon, I believe you!" One of these days I will "get" the lingo of the shop crew, but unless I'm willing to sacrifice a pair of jeans and several t-shirts, I probably will never truly understand what all goes on inside an airplane.

I do know that details are vital when working with planes. Each piece is important and has a specific job to do (where did that extra bolt come from?) - which vaguely reminds me of the body of Christ.

Speaking of pieces, there are at least a gazillion of them to each airplane - I know because I helped move a million of those pieces when we packed up the large hangar in August. I held up a weird looking piece of metal and said "This has GOT to be garbage" and Jon, our beloved director, gasped in horror and replied, "Don't LOSE that piece - it's the passenger window trim for the 206!" I just grinned weakly and said "My mistake, Jon, I believe you!"