Ethics

When it comes to ethical behavior in aviation, the first thing that comes to mind for me is the catastrophic consequences of what can happen when maintenance is done incorrectly or not done at all. During my time in the Air Force, the term "pencil-whip" was all too common. Pencil-whipping refers to the act of signing off inspections or maintenance tasks without actually doing them. As a former engines troop on the flightline, part of my job responsibilities includes doing periodic borescope inspections at varying hourly intervals on the GE F110-129 engine. Several of the engine's borescope ports were in locations with very limited access, that required being safety wired upon reinstallation. I've worked with several other airmen would pencil those inspections and even get mad at me when I would do the inspections myself. Their argument was always that if they scoped the fan stages forward of and the compressor stages aft of the borescope port without finding damage th...