Traveling by air can be a nerve-wracking way to travel. I know I always get nervous when I must fly to get to where I want to go. Even just flying in a plane is a little scary, so I can only imagine how stressful it is to actually pilot one.
Inside Edition shared a video about 21-year-old Taylor Hash, who is a student pilot, and her scary experience landing a plane. Taylor was preparing to land the plane that she was flying on her third solo flight, but she was unaware that the nose gear had fallen off.
Thankfully, Chris Yates, a veteran pilot, had just landed in Pontiac, Michigan. Chris actually saw the nose gear of Taylor’s plane fall off onto the runway. Air traffic control alerted Taylor, saying, “Diamond Eight Delta Charlie, you lost your front nose gear tire. Your entire front wheel assembly is on the runway.”
With that warning, Taylor remained calm and kept trying to figure out a solution and exactly what her options were. Thankfully, Chris Yates was there to help. Chris was the former director of aviation at SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space company.
The air traffic control tower quickly put him on the radio to help. The connection between the two pilots is quite heartwarming. Chris has a daughter who is the same age as Taylor, and she has the same name. In his attempt to keep her calm, Chris told her, “Taylor, this is Chris. My daughter’s name is Taylor, and I taught her how to fly. We’re gonna be just fine, kiddo.”
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In an interview with Inside Edition, Taylor said, “He made it feel like I’ve known him forever, you know? He was just so calming.” Using his skills as a father, Chris started to ask Taylor questions about herself to keep her mind as calm as possible.
When he asked her, “You’re gonna be a career pilot?” she replied, “I was planning on it.” Chris then added the cherry on top with the statement, “This is a good start. This is a good story to your legacy, kid.” After Taylor successfully landed the plane, Chris let her know that he was proud of her.
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