So this happened yesterday and I still feel secondhand embarrassment thinking about it. I (22M) was at a crowded café, waiting in line. Place was packed, people standing everywhere, typical chaos. In front of me there was this pretty girl arguing with the cashier about some order mix-up. Nothing serious, just slightly tense. Out of nowhere, the guy behind her walks up, stands next to her and in a very casual but possessive tone goes, “what’s the issue?” The vibe immediately changed. You could tell she was uncomfortable. For some reason, my brain decided this was my moment to look cool in front of that pretty girl. She looked back at me for like half a second, probably just randomly, and I don’t know why but I stepped forward and said: “Yeah, we’ve been waiting for a while.” WE. Not “she”. Not “this girl”. WE. (I don't know how I got the confidence) The guy looks at me. Then looks at her. Then back at me. And goes, “you’re with her?” At this point I should’ve corrected it. End of s...
AITA for suing a major aircraft manufacturer after they blamed me for a "near-death" engine failure?
Throwaway account for legal reasons, though the settlement just cleared so I can finally talk about this. I’m a commercial pilot. About eighteen months ago, I was captaining a flight with 160 souls on board. We were at cruising altitude when the unthinkable happened: a dual engine flameout. For those who aren't aviation nerds, having one engine go out is a Tuesday; having both go out is a "start praying" scenario. Through what I can only describe as a mix of muscle memory and pure adrenaline, I managed to glide that bird into an emergency landing at a small municipal strip. No fatalities. Only a few minor injuries during the evacuation. I was being hailed as a hero in the local news for about 48 hours. **Then the "blame game" started.** The manufacturer (let’s call them "Airffective") released a preliminary report claiming "pilot error." They suggested I had mismanaged the fuel pumps and "panicked," causing the engines to starve. O...