A commercial pilot gave a touching speech when his father joined him aboard their first flight together.
“We have a VIP on board,” Anselm Winston said on a flight from Charleston to Miami.
“So a little bit about this VIP, he hails from Kingston, Jamaica, born in the small town of Portmore, Jamaica,” he shared over the loudspeaker while giving a short background on his father’s life journey. “And that VIP that I’m talking about is my father.”
Winston revealed that this flight, in particular, meant a lot to him and he was grateful to have his dad as a passenger for the first time.
In the caption of the video which was posted to Winston’s Instagram, he mentioned that he’s been wanting to have his father aboard one of his flights for over 10 years.
“Today was one of the most memorable and best days of my life and I got to share it with my father,” he wrote. “It’s been about 10 years since I’ve gotten my Commercial pilots license and it’s been even longer that I’ve wanted to be able to share an experience with my Dad that he’d never forget.”
“The stars aligned and I was finally able to get my Dad out on a trip with me on the jet.I don’t think I need to say much else as the video pretty much shows my emotions better than what I can write. Dad, I’m thankful, I’m blessed and I hope I’ve made both you and Mom proud. I hope you enjoyed the ride,” he concluded.
Winston gave his dad a huge shout out and even got emotional while doing so. He revealed that his dad’s birthday was one day prior to their special flight.
“I’m just trying to hold the tears back, I didn’t think I’d cry but this is a very special and very important flight to me because it’s the first one with my father and I’m just very thankful and very blessed to have my father on board,” he said while holding back tears.
“Dad, I thank you for everything you’ve done for me and I’ll try to make this the greatest flight he’s ever had,” he continued.
In one of the videos in Winston’s post, he shared a video of his father joining him in the cockpit.
“A happy belated birthday present to him, so I hope he enjoys it,” Winston said in the clip.
Some viewers relished in the sweet, heartwarming moment, sharing their thoughts on the endearing clip.
“So cute, it’s these moments in life ????????????,” Senegalese singer Marieme commented.
“Wow. His father took care of him. It must have been such a good feeling to take care of his father. Symbolic and beautiful!!” another user wrote.
Winston’s father, Ashman, is not the only passenger who he’s brought to the front of the plane. The ERJ-175 certified pilot is known for bringing friends and family into the cockpit to give them a glimpse of his job, including children and long-time friends.
As for his parents, Winston consistently shares photos of the two on his Instagram page, expressing how grateful he is for them and how much he loves them both.
“The ones who raised me. The ones who loved me,” the Miami based pilot wrote in a post. “The ones who believed in me. The ones that knew I could fly before I had my wings. The ones that are responsible for me becoming the man I am today. The ones who never gave up despite my pitfalls in life. Family. Parents like no other and that I’ll always cherish and adore. I love you Mom and Dad #Mom#Dad#Love.”
