Flight School

“She asked me why we didn’t land at the airport.” – Reed Critchfield

Flight School

“I’ve been pilot for many years.” Reed said to me as we were walking through some potential space for his company.  “And, I invited family members to come and fly with me for the Labor Day Holiday.”

Reed took his five-year-old granddaughter into the sky, for her turn, not long after his family arrived at the airstrip.  They were climbing to altitude when Reed heard a loud sound bang from the front of the plane.

“I knew immediately something was wrong!” He continued.  “My plane stopped climbing and it was clear we were in trouble.”

His experience, personal calm and cool head allowed him to immediately take control of the situation.   Fear, mostly for the welfare of his granddaughter, gripped his heart.  He began to act while planning for their safe arrival on the ground.

He looked at the ground below as he looked out of his cockpit to see how far they were from the runway.  “I could see I was going to be about two miles short.”  He said.

Once he could see he was not going to make it he immediately began to search for an alternative-landing site.  He identified a field in the near distance and set out to glide the plane in.  He steadied himself while listening to the air hissing around his aluminum cocoon. He had practiced many times for this situation and he kept reminding himself of this preparation as he glided along.

His glide path allowed him to see family members come to life where they were waiting on the tarmac below.  They heard the absence of engine noise and reacted immediately, each person hoping with all their might that the two flyers would return to ground safely.  The family rushed to their cars and began to drive while projecting the landing path of the small airplane, now a glider.  They desperately wanted to add their support for its arrival.

“The ground seemed to arrive before I knew it and luckily the field we landed in was relatively flat.  In fact, it was so smooth that my granddaughter surprised me as I lifted her from the plane as I stood on the welcome ground.  She asked me why we didn’t land at the airport.”  He said with a slight grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Reed walked to the front of the plane with her and lifted the hatch so he could show her the seized engine.  As he did so, they were swarmed by cars and were soon wrapped in the arms of those who loved them.  They were all safe and reunited because of the preparation, knowledge and skill of one.

Reed spent a lot of time over the rest of the afternoon making sure that those witnessing the salvaged flight learned all they could from the experience.  “I wanted to make sure they knew everything I did and why I did it.  Life can have scary moments!  By teaching my family how to navigate through a dangerous situation I was able to increase their confidence.  As it turned it out, Labor Day was flight school, an opportunity for me to give my experience to those that matter most to me.  I don’t want them to live their lives in fear.  I want them to soar!”