I Kissed a Pilot In The Cockpit And I Didn’t Even Know Him

Writing Prompt: What is your best exciting flying adventure?

As if flying in an airplane wasn’t anxiety-inducing enough, I was doing it with two small children—a son and a daughter, one under the age of one and the other almost four. The flight would be well worth the worry while escaping the chilling frost of our Canadian winter, but until we reached Florida, my nerves frayed.

Once up in the air, I got an exciting offer. It was a chance of a lifetime.

Keeping Adam calm was reasonably easy. Stick a boob in his mouth and let nursing take its course. I’d always demand fed, so whenever he fussed, I knew the best way to soothe him. Unfortunately, my husband wasn’t as fortunate. Therefore, his job was to keep me calm so I could pass the peace on to our son.

Our daughter busied herself with colouring. We packed her a surprise bag of stickers and snacks. Her excitement was palpable. She knew she would visit Mickey Mouse at Walt Disney World, but seeing her grandmother and grandfather in her books was just as fun.

While the minutes passed, I never missed the opportunity to watch the flight attendants. Their demeanour showed me whether there was cause for alarm. And I certainly was vocal about my fear of flying, too, because whenever they came to ask how we were doing, my quivering voice gave me away.

Then, hours into our flight, an attendant came to me and said, “The captain is inviting you to join him.”

“What?” I exclaimed.

He repeated himself. “The pilot of this aircraft is inviting you into the cockpit to join him while he lands.”

A tingling sensation surged through my body. It was one of excitement and fear all rolled into one.

“Oh no, I couldn’t,” I said.

My husband encouraged me.

“Let me think about it,” I added, hoping it would send the flight attendant scurrying away.

“The pilot never does this,” the steward answered. “You won’t get another opportunity like this again. I encourage you to take him up on his offer.”

I looked at the man, then at my husband, who by now was shooing me to go, then back at the man. I got up from my seat, then I followed him into the cockpit.

There was a single seat next to a window behind the pilot. I could see the lush control panel, the co-pilot, and the pilot in clear view. The flight attendant handed me a set of earphones, and when I put them on, I heard everything the pilot heard. It felt like I was third in command.

I watched out the window as we descended. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I was trying to breathe deep to remain calm. It was a bright sunny day, and everything seemed right. The pilot was calm; turbulence was non-existent.

As we continued to descend, suddenly, I felt a rush. We seemed to fly around in circles and ascend as time went by. My anxiety was pumping at an all-time high. What was wrong? Why were we going up instead of down?

Then I heard the air traffic controller’s direction, and I realized the pilot was waiting for his turn to make a safe landing. There was nothing at all to fear. Everything was on course.

We were coasting in the air. My hands were clutching the armrests so tightly my hands were turning white. With my eyelids clenched so tightly, not a speck of daylight entered, and I was holding my breath.

And then I felt it. You know the feeling you get when someone’s watching you even though you can’t see them?

I hesitantly peeked through one eye and then the other. The flight attendant was standing there watching my terrifying descent as if he was enjoying my show.

Although he didn’t poke fun at my stance, I felt silly and humiliated.

This was when I realized I was missing the chance of a lifetime. How many other passengers got the chance to sit in the cockpit and experience this incredible opportunity? According to the flight attendant, no one. The pilot’s offer to me was allegedly one of a kind.

At that moment, I sucked up my fear and watched my surroundings with unbridled enthusiasm. I opened my eyes wide, took in the sights, listened to the command post and pilot’s conversations, and centred my breathing.

At last, it was our turn to land. I watched as we descended, and the land drew closer beneath us. I listened as the pilot deployed the landing gear, and I embraced the smoothest landing I’ve ever known.

When the plane made its full stop, the pilot turned to me with a smile. Exhilarating energy consumed me. Extreme gratitude was all I felt.

I leaned over and kissed the pilot on the cheek while thanking him profusely for the opportunity. Immediately after that, I felt stronger and more comfortable with the notion I’d be back on an airplane in two weeks when we flew back home.

The pilot did a random act of kindness that day by inviting me into the cockpit to share an aviation opportunity of a lifetime. Did it help me with my flight home? Maybe a little, because there’s nothing like being privy to the control tower’s directions to know what’s going on.

Maybe one day, they will give all passengers headsets and the option to listen to the air traffic controllers as I did. Then, everyone could watch a movie, listen to music, or fly along with the pilot.

If this were available, would you choose that option?

I think it all boils down to the question, “Do you need to stay in control?”

As I’m sure you can guess, this amazing experience happened pre-911.

I wrote this story using the prompt, “What is your best exciting flying adventure” created and implemented in her winning story by pockett dessert and borrowed by Adrienne Beaumont.

Thank you to Ellie Jacobson for creating a fun writing challenge encouraging writers to share a writing prompt and write about it.

Also, a warm thank you to Trista Signe Ainsworth and Thank You Notes — the perfect place to express my gratitude to those who made this unbelievable experience possible.