Chapter 13 — Before takeoff, I refused to sign the order for the plane to fly

People complained for two weeks. By the third week... Everyone gets used to it. People adapt to new processes... Simply because they've had enough complaining. Trieu Minh Vien was transferred to the Safety Training Center. I met him once. He wore a very normal shirt. In his hand he holds a stack of teaching materials. We met by chance in front of the elevator. Seeing me, he stopped.

"Passed the assessment?"

"Congratulations."

The elevator arrives. He didn't step in. I'm not in a hurry either. He said slowly:

"That day..."

"If you sign."

"I might have saved myself one problem."

I looked at him.

"But there will be a bigger problem."

He nodded. When the elevator door was about to close... He raised his hand to block the door.

"Later..."

"Stop tearing the paper."

I smiled at him.

"Manager Zhao."

"Later..."

"Don't lock the door either."

He was stunned. Then burst out laughing. The smile was much more relieved than last time. The elevator door closed. Is the entire reconciliation between us. No hugs. There was no public apology. For adults... Being able to get to that point is very valuable. Tomorrow everyone still has to swipe their card to go to work. Winter comes very quickly. One afternoon, I was in charge of technical assurance for a flight with Co Thua Trach as captain. The plane is scheduled to fly to the North. Normal weather. Passengers board the plane normally. The crew is fully present. It's so normal that it makes people easily relax their guard. While checking in transit, I discovered an item of equipment in the kitchen compartment had a problem. The water heater in the back kitchen is not working. That's not a serious error. According to MEL, aircraft are still allowed to operate. But before takeoff... Must complete equipment isolation, affix warning labels, document and fully notify the flight crew of operational limitations. The passenger service manager stood next to him and kept looking at his watch.

"Engineer Lam..."

"Surely it won't be serious this time?"

"So the plane can still fly?"

She just breathed a sigh of relief. I continued:

"But all documents must be completed according to MEL before that can be done."

Her shoulders immediately drooped.

"How long will it take?"

"Twenty minutes."

She closed her eyes for a moment.

"Now I feel scared every time I listen for twenty minutes."

I smiled faintly.

"Me too."

At that moment, Co Thua Trach walked over from the telescopic bridge.

"What is up?"

"In the back kitchen, the water heater is broken."

"According to MEL, mining is still allowed."

"But it is necessary to isolate the device, label it, complete the documentation and notify flight attendants."

"Is it affecting the flight?"

"Twenty minutes late."

He looked at his watch. The co-pilot behind him also unconsciously looked at his watch. I waited for him to speak. I didn't ask if it could be done faster. He just asked:

"How long will it take?"

"According to the technical manual."

"Twenty minutes."

He nodded.

"Then I will wait for your conclusion."

The passenger service manager looked at him. Then looked at me again.

"Then I'll go make the announcement."

I bowed my head and took notes. Description of damage. Processing steps. MEL terms apply. Notify the passenger compartment. Mining limits. The base allows aircraft to take off. There are no boxes that are difficult to fill out. No box is allowed to be written lightly. Han Ve Dong passed by. Glanced at my notebook I.

"The writing is more beautiful than before."

I raised my head.

"Was your handwriting really bad before?"

"Before, it looked like there was a grudge against the paper."

I have a habit of biting the pen cap. Then immediately release it.

"Unhygienic."

He looked at me with hatred.

"If you know that, don't bite."

The loudspeaker at the departure gate rang.

"Dear passengers, we regret to inform you that due to the aircraft needing to complete a maintenance confirmation item, the flight is expected to be delayed approximately twenty minutes. Please wait longer at the departure gate area..."

Someone sighed. Some people quietly complained. Someone got up to get water. No one knows... What exactly those twenty minutes were used for. They don't need to know either. A lot of professional work is like that. When you do it right... Others only see you have to wait. Only when you do wrong... They see the consequences. I complete the final reconciliation step. Holding the flight record book, he walked in front of Co Thua Trach.

"The water heater in the aft galley is retained in accordance with the MEL."

"The device has been quarantined and labeled."

"The flight attendant has been notified."

"Exploit limits fully documented."

"The plane can be signed for takeoff."

He received the notebook. Read the whole thing again. I got the notebook back. In the Maintenance Confirmation section, I slowly filled out each line. Practicing certificate number. The moment the tip of the pen touches the paper... Outside the window, another plane flies past the end of the runway. The loudspeaker was still steadily announcing to passengers to continue waiting a few more minutes. No one calls that waiting anymore... A loss anymore.