C-141 Aircraft Commander line check (7 day trip). The Dover Chief of Maintenance (Col) went ballistic in my cockpit because I would not depart with the copilots interphone inoperative. He said get it fixed at Elmendorf. I refused because the MEL said I could not depart home station without an operative interphone system. He said, "You only sit four feet apart. If you delay this flight I'm going to address your judgment at the Aircraft Commanders Certification Board." I refused. He stormed off the airplane "muttering." We were delayed while maintenance fixed the problem.

The Check Pilot sitting on the bunk at the back of the cockpit later told me that if I had taken the aircraft (with inop interphone) , he would have "failed " me the minute I started an engine.