A “similarsnarescome to mind...” (line 17) means that ‘other equivalent solutions are engendered’.
B “... thealpha and omegaof a working shift.” (lines 33- 34) can be understood as ‘the positive and negative feature of a working shift’.
C “... thepen has replaced the wrench,” (line 35) can be interpreted as ‘understanding the documents have become more important than being able to use hardware tools’.
D “eighteen yearsdown the road,” (lines 43-44) means that ‘eighteen years after piloting airplanes’.
E “... both inthe hangar and at the ramp.” (lines 72-73) can be interpreted as ‘in the backstage and all hidden areas of professional training’.