Chapter 12 - The Hangar
The F-16 was repaired.
It took four months. It took a new hydraulic system, a new canopy, a new section of fuselage skin, and a new paint job. It came out of the depot at Warner Robins in September. It was flown back to Eglin by a ferry crew. It was assigned to the 33rd Fighter Squadron. It flew for another six years before it was retired to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan.
On the morning it was returned to the squadron, Jasmine Cole walked out to the flight line to see it.
She was a technical sergeant by then. She had been promoted three months earlier. She was in her maintenance uniform with her tools in her bag and her badge on her lanyard. She stood on the tarmac in the early light and looked at the aircraft.
It was beautiful.
It was clean and gray and stenciled with the markings of the 33rd Fighter Squadron. It was sitting on the ramp with its canopy open and its intake covered and its tires chocked. It was waiting.
A voice came from behind her.
"Technical Sergeant Cole."
She turned.
Captain Noah Bennett was walking toward her. He was in his flight suit with his helmet under his arm. He had been reassigned to the 33rd Fighter Squadron six months earlier. He had flown thirty-one sorties since the fire. He had been awarded the Air Medal for the emergency landing. He had been promoted to major the previous month.
"Sir," Jasmine said.
"Major," Noah corrected. "I made major last month."
"Congratulations, sir."
"Thank you." Noah stopped beside her. He looked at the aircraft. "It looks good."
"It does, sir."
"It flew here from Warner Robins. I talked to the ferry pilot. He said it flew like a dream."
"I am glad to hear it, sir."
They stood on the tarmac for a while.
Then Noah said, "Technical Sergeant, I have a question."
"Sir?"
"Would you like to fly it?"
Jasmine looked at him.
"Sir, I am a maintenance specialist. I do not fly."
"I know. But you saved this aircraft. You signed a red X on it. You refused to release it with a bad part. And because you did, the aircraft was repaired. And because it was repaired, it is going to fly for another six years. I thought you might want to see it from the cockpit."
Jasmine looked at the aircraft.
Then she looked at Noah.
"Sir," she said, "I appreciate the offer. But I do not need to see it from the cockpit. I need to see it from the hangar floor. That is where I belong. That is where I have always belonged. That is where I am going to keep belonging."
Noah looked at her.
"Technical Sergeant Cole," he said, "you are the best maintenance specialist I have ever met."
"Sir, I am a technical sergeant. I am not the best. I am just a technical sergeant who signed a red X."
"Technical Sergeant, that is the same thing."
They stood on the tarmac.
The sun was coming up over the flight line. The aircraft was sitting on the ramp with its canopy open and its intake covered and its tires chocked. It was waiting.
Jasmine Cole picked up her tool bag.
She walked toward the hangar.
She had work to do.
May you like
The aircraft was waiting.
And she was going to make sure it was ready.
