The Coin of the Realm--Trust

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I flew airplanes off and on for 25 years. When I approached the aircraft, I read the maintenance sheets to see if there were any systems that might be below optimum, if the aircraft had been properly serviced and if the airplane was ready for my sortie. I had virtually nothing to do with getting the airplane ready for flight. Oh sure, I did the cursory walk around inspection to make sure it had three landing gear, and ejection seat, the proper number of engines and was not leaking fluids all over the ramp. Dozens of people had worked on the airplane, making sure it was ready to go and was safe to fly. I had to put my trust in all of those folks I never saw who left their fingerprints all over the craft. I had to trust all those people to do their jobs. That was on the ground. When you are flying, there is a different level of trust that must be invested.