“Yeah, he followed the old man’s trade,” Vallis says ruefully. “But he enjoys it a lot, especially being out there on the West Coast.”
But until the federal government finally completes the two-decade-long procurement process, Vallis and his crew of technicians will have to wait for the chance to work on a helicopter that is younger than they are. Until then? “We keep fixing it. What else are we going to do?”
