I finally got a "thanks" from a grumpy old pilot after 6 years

I've been working at a small regional airport in Eugene, Oregon for about 6 years now. There's this one pilot, Dave, who flies a beat up Cessna 172 and never says a word to anyone. Always just hands over the logbook, grunts, and walks away. Last Tuesday I found a cracked cylinder head on his engine during a routine 100-hour inspection. Caught it early before it could blow completely. When I told him, he just nodded and walked off like always. But the next day he came back with a thermos of coffee from the diner and said "you saved me a headache kid" right before handing it over. Small thing, but for a guy who never talks, that meant a lot. Anyone else have a pilot or coworker who warmed up after years of silence?

3 comments

3 Comments

alicesingh1mo ago

Wait, a cracked cylinder? That's terrifying!

margaret_kelly551mo ago

Oh come on, it's not like the whole engine is gonna explode or anything. A cracked cylinder sounds scary but it's usually just a hairline fracture that can get welded up no problem. Unless you're driving a race car or something, it's more of an inconvenience than a real danger.

ruby4501mo ago

@alicesingh right??? My buddy's truck had a cracked cylinder and it was way worse than just an inconvenience!