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10/15/2007 12:41:27 AM · #1 |
Yes! This morning while my youngest son and I was going to get a breakfast a fighter jet flew over. With a very loud roar of the engines as he was making what appeared as a minimum radius turn my son said, âLook dad a F-18â. You donât see fighter jets in our town unless itâs at our annual âThunder in the Valleyâ air show, which isnât till March. As we watched him make a couple of flyovers, he landed at our local airport.
My son began to beg me to take him to see the jet. I agreed and took him there. When we arrived I took an access road that leads to an entry point of the airport away from the main terminal. There he saw it, an F-18 hornet, and could not contain his excitement. I pulled up to the fence; we got out of the car and looked at the jet. He was so excited, telling me all about the jet. On the other side of the fence was a man that worked at the charter terminal. He overheard my so talking about the jet and seen my sonâs excitement.
After about four or five minutes we were greeted by airport police, who was nice, but told us we had to go. This area was restricted and only accessible by authorized personnel. When I started to turn around and acknowledge the police, the man that was inside the fence was standing behind us. He told the officer, âItâs ok â Theyâre with meâ. He then asked my son did he want to see the jet. Oh that mad my sonâs day. He escorted us through the small terminal and out onto the tarmac. The next thing I know my son was in the cockpit of a F-18 Hornet sitting besides a very nice Navy fighter pilot giving the camera a thumbs up.
Nickolas [my son] is a special child and donât get to enjoy the things a lot of teens his age do. But today, because of being in the right place at the right time, a wonderful man that worked at the terminal, and a very nice Navy Officer, he got live out a dream. For a moment he felt as if he was a fight pilot, something he loves.
Here is the thumbs-up picture. I will post a few more soon. Thanks for taking time to read this post, I thank you and so does Nickolas.
Message edited by author 2007-10-15 00:43:51. |
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10/15/2007 12:45:47 AM · #2 |
What a wonderful story! Hurray for your son! I have wanted to set in that pilots seat since I was a little girl.
How exciting for both of you!
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10/15/2007 12:47:02 AM · #3 |
| Now that is kick A$$! :-D |
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10/15/2007 12:51:35 AM · #4 |
Oh wow, that's SOOO cool that he got invited over. What an awesome experience. One I'd die for. One he's sure to remember for a long time. Good thing you had your camera! :-)
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10/15/2007 12:56:40 AM · #5 |
| That's the coolest story Scott! What an awesome thing for your son (and you). Great day to have the camera handy and ready to go. :) |
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10/15/2007 12:58:31 AM · #6 |
| It is so refreshing to hear stories like this, good people still exsist! Looks like a great time, that picture is priceless. |
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10/15/2007 12:59:03 AM · #7 |
Wowsers!! That is freakin' awesome!
Goes to show that there are still some really cool people out there that really ROCK! :-) |
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10/15/2007 01:14:37 AM · #8 |
| What a fantastic experience! Great shot!! |
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10/15/2007 01:21:47 AM · #9 |
Thanks everyone for your comments. Here are a few more to round out the set.
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10/15/2007 01:40:22 AM · #10 |
| Woohooo!!! Awesome story, and great photos too. Your son isn't going to forget that day in a hurry! :) |
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10/15/2007 01:47:26 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by swhiddon:
... the man that was inside the fence was standing behind us. He told the officer, âItâs ok â Theyâre with meâ.... |
Man, it's good to find a speck of human decency among the amber waves of paranoia -- congratulations on an all-too-rare experience I'm sure both you and your son will treasure for years to come. |
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10/15/2007 02:07:42 AM · #12 |
| Fantastic story!! I can imagine the thrill your son must have felt while sitting in that jet. You sure captured a great moment, plus your image rocks! |
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10/15/2007 02:16:06 AM · #13 |
| Scott, this is just the coolest, nicest, most heartwarming thing I've read in a long time - I am SO glad you were in the right place at the right time, and the pictures are just a wonderful keepsake of what looks to have been one kickass kinda day! Thanks for sharing this! |
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10/15/2007 02:25:40 AM · #14 |
| Fantastic story, and a wonderful series of photographs as a reminder of the adventure. You must, must get the first one framed for Nickolas' bedroom wall - it would make an awesome Christmas present! |
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10/15/2007 09:22:28 AM · #15 |
| Totally awesome! Nice to see that there are still good people around! That is a fantastic shot and I love the processing .... congrats on a great day and great image to remember it by ... |
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10/15/2007 09:35:07 AM · #16 |
I love good news, and this is great. Yes, I carry my camera everywhere too, and it has opened many doors for me along the way.
I am happy that your day went the way it did, and the pics that you made that day are priceless for you and NIck. Thanks for making my day with a happy story.
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10/15/2007 09:43:11 AM · #17 |
I read this thread with avid interest and am truly glad that your son got to experience a once in a lifetime event and that you have a very nice collection of photos that you can post in his room.
Having said this I would hasten to point out that there is one issue that no one has addressed, namely:"This area was restricted and only accessible by authorized personnel.
I truly hate to be a stickler for little details, but I would hazard a guess that the actions in this instance are at the very least a violation of policy and I do hope that the persons who permitted this "on the spot" change in policy are NOT held accountable for their transgression, but perhaps reminded of the fact that there does exist a protocol for such scenarios.
It certainly was a nice gesture, but seemingly, a violation nonetheless.
Ray
Message edited by author 2007-10-15 09:45:52. |
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10/15/2007 09:48:24 AM · #18 |
Scott, thats just plain awesome!! Two thumbs up for the officer for letting your son sit in the plane thats just way cool...
-dave |
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10/15/2007 09:52:14 AM · #19 |
| This story just made my day. I love when the kindness of strangers brings joy to others. |
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10/15/2007 03:24:49 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by RayEthier:
I read this thread with avid interest and am truly glad that your son got to experience a once in a lifetime event and that you have a very nice collection of photos that you can post in his room.
Having said this I would hasten to point out that there is one issue that no one has addressed, namely:"This area was restricted and only accessible by authorized personnel.
I truly hate to be a stickler for little details, but I would hazard a guess that the actions in this instance are at the very least a violation of policy and I do hope that the persons who permitted this "on the spot" change in policy are NOT held accountable for their transgression, but perhaps reminded of the fact that there does exist a protocol for such scenarios.
It certainly was a nice gesture, but seemingly, a violation nonetheless.
Ray |
What we have here is a visibly "impaired" child beside himself with excitement, and a compassionate military man who recognizes the opportunity to generate community goodwill and please a child all at the same time. I cannot imagine the brass coming down on him for this. This is a great story and it ought to be publicized IMO.
R.
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10/15/2007 04:11:34 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
This is a great story and it ought to be publicized IMO.
R. |
It is indeed a great story, and were I the person who did this wonderful gesture I seriously doubt I would want it publicized... the powers to be might not share my views, opting perhaps to remind me that "A breach is a breach".
I truly would hate for that compassionate person to suffer the wrath of his superiors, hence my caution.
Ray
Message edited by author 2007-10-15 16:13:04. |
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10/15/2007 04:52:39 PM · #22 |
THAT is a great photo op!!! That is a lifetime rememberance right there for your son.
and what a small world... I know that pilot!! I was a Flight Medic in the AF and I have met him a few times.
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10/15/2007 05:05:56 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by gwe21:
THAT is a great photo op!!! That is a lifetime rememberance right there for your son.
and what a small world... I know that pilot!! I was a Flight Medic in the AF and I have met him a few times. |
He is a true Gentleman! It seemed as if he enjoyed helping children. I proud to say my son and I was able to meet him and to shake his hand. Our children need more hero's like him to look up to. |
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10/15/2007 05:12:18 PM · #24 |
In this world of darkness and gloom, a small light flickers to light our lifes and reinforce our belief that Mankind isn't all bad.
This was a memorable event for both you and your son, Scott. I am sure you will treasure this and look back on the photos years in the future. Good Luck to you two, and I think all here at DPC are giving this pilot and the man who helped you in to the base, a virtual handshake and a pat on the back.
I have a stupid smile on my face and a lump in my throat each time I read your post.
Thanks Steve:) |
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10/15/2007 05:13:32 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by RayEthier:
I read this thread with avid interest and am truly glad that your son got to experience a once in a lifetime event and that you have a very nice collection of photos that you can post in his room.
Having said this I would hasten to point out that there is one issue that no one has addressed, namely:"This area was restricted and only accessible by authorized personnel.
I truly hate to be a stickler for little details, but I would hazard a guess that the actions in this instance are at the very least a violation of policy and I do hope that the persons who permitted this "on the spot" change in policy are NOT held accountable for their transgression, but perhaps reminded of the fact that there does exist a protocol for such scenarios.
It certainly was a nice gesture, but seemingly, a violation nonetheless.
Ray |
Considering that this happened at a local airport and not a military base and since the OP didn't mention crossing any barriers that might have marked the area as 'restricted' in any manner, then I think it's more likely that the airport police exceeded their authority by asking them to leave. I might think differently if the road they were on was marked as private or restricted, but he didnât mention whether it was or not. He did state that they were outside of the fenced-in area of the airport. If in fact they were on public land, then the police did exceed their authority.
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