Explaining pre-flight checks to my date's parents

So I was at dinner with my girlfriend's family last weekend, and her dad asks what I do for a living. I tell him I'm an aircraft mechanic, and he starts grilling me about plane safety. Next thing I know, I'm walking them through a basic pre-flight inspection right there at the table, using salt shakers and napkins to demonstrate. Her mom thought I was showing them a magic trick or something. I got so into it that I almost asked for a flashlight to check under the table for leaks. They were politely confused, but my girlfriend hasn't stopped laughing about it since. Now every time I visit, they joke about needing their salad bowls torque-wrenched. It was totally awkward but kind of fun in a weird way.

3 comments

3 Comments

wesleyburns23d ago

My uncle was a crop duster pilot and he used to say the walk-around is where you find the problems that don't want to be found. You turning dinner into a demo probably showed them more about how you think than what you actually do. That careful, step-by-step mindset is the real job, not just the wrenches. It's a good sign they're joking about it now, means they saw you being serious about something important.

paul_morgan1mo ago

I mean, it's just a basic walk-around. Not like you were troubleshooting a full hydraulic failure over dessert. They act like you pulled out a technical manual, but you just moved some condiments around.

margaret_flores171mo ago

That's actually pretty cool though, right? People have no clue what goes into keeping a plane in the air, so even the simple stuff seems wild to them. Moving salt shakers around is basically giving them a backstage pass. Maybe they were confused, but at least they were listening. Isn't that way better than just getting a nod and a change of subject?