"She might not look like much…"

Posted under A Geek Dad's Life, Blog Posts

Just flew in a CRJ50 jet from South Carolina to Ohio.  That jet was the sorriest looking, old, busted-ass piece of aviation technology I have seen in commercial use.  The interior was dated, and its paint was peeling or had been worn off around the aluminum screws holding it together.

I told myself that the paint’s condition was due to either an inspection process (you need to remove the paint to inspect the equipment?) or because they were preparing the aircraft for a new paint job.

I was next-to-last to get off the plane, so I asked an airline employee [not the flight crew] about it on the way into the terminal.  He said “Well, she might not look like much, but she’ll do the Kessell run in under 12 parsecs.”  Funny!  I did not press him for a real answer because I had to keep moving to my next flight. 

Still, either paint it or don’t.  I don’t feel comfortable riding around in Sanford & Sons Airlines.  If the airline company doesn’t care enough to maintain the paint job, how do I know that they care enough to maintain the oxygen generators, de-icing system, redundant hydraulics, etc. I cope by not thinking about it.