Vietnam-era Naval jet engine crashes and rebuilds

1969 Norfolk VA, Tom as freshman/sophomore engineering intern. Crack in titanium inlet-fan case of a rebuilt jet engine bound for Southeast Asia. Chief engineer designs a pneumatic peening tool to avoid disassembly; Tom witnesses Almen-gauge testing, signs the certification under threat of "you'll be in jail within 24 hours" if the plane goes down. The teaching point: "sometimes you just have to take risk" — but not without knowledge.

To tell you a story on peening: this was 1969. I was between my freshman and sophomore year, working at the Naval Air Rework Facility in Norfolk, Virginia rebuilding jet engines. I wasn't rebuilding them — I was an engineering intern. The Vietnam War was going on, and we were getting engines back from Vietnam. Out in the shop they had to rebuild them. One was all reassembled, ready to be shipped back to Southeast Asia. They did a final inspection. One of the inlet fans, right at the front of the engine, had a little crack in the titanium case.