DAVID RENTKO

My father worked in sheet metal and introduced me to Red Wing. I bought my first pair of 10877s when I was 15 years old. I wore them bailing hay and driving tractors and trucks on the family farm, and they stayed on when I went to school almost every day. For 43 years, my Red Wings have been the most comfortable and longest-wearing boots I have owned.

I currently work as an inspector on commercial aircraft for the world's largest aerospace manufacturing company. My job effectively covers every part, component and system that gets installed during the nine-day period when a tube comes in one end of the factory and ultimately rolls out the other end as a complete airplane ready for pre-flight testing.

The work involves countless miles of walking, climbing and crouching on the tarmac and in a heavy industrial factory setting. Inside, it's all high-impact, dense concrete floors built to handle the extreme weight of the machinery. There's an area that was previously used to build the B-29 Bomber that now has very uneven concrete, so you have to watch your step. We're also outdoors all year round to help get the airplanes ready to fly.

The 10877s I wear now are a perfect fit for this work. They're over two years old and just starting to show their age. The flat crepe soles provide extra cushion and solid footing, and the high ankle support comes in handy. I have no doubt these boots saved me from the foot and back problems many of my coworkers seem to have.

At any given time, the airplanes I've inspected are up in the air carrying tens of thousands of people around the world. I'm proud to be helping millions and millions of travelers arrive safely at their destinations.