“A Little Airplane in the Night”
A note of gratitude from an Aurora, Colorado family.
To the crew of the Minneapolis-to-Denver nighttime flight:
You don’t know me, but for the past several months, we’ve had something of a standing appointment—
usually around 3:00 a.m.
Those early-morning hours often find me awake with my baby or comforting my toddler after a difficult
night. Any parent knows those moments can be incredibly special, but they can also feel very quiet and
very lonely.
And then I hear your airplane.
Several nights each week, while most of the world is asleep, I hear the familiar sound of that small
airplane passing overhead. I don’t know who is flying it, what you’re carrying, or who is waiting for you
in Denver. But somewhere along the way, that airplane became a comforting part of our family’s
nighttime routine.
As I rock a sleepy baby and try to keep my own eyes open, hearing you overhead reminds me that the
world is still moving. People are working. Deliveries are being made. Businesses are opening. Someone,
somewhere, is depending on what you are carrying.
It may be a small airplane crossing a dark sky, but on long nights, small things can mean a great deal.
My children will never remember those 3:00 a.m. feedings, but I will. And somewhere in those
memories will always be the sound of an airplane overhead and a tired mom quietly thinking:
“There they are. Right on schedule.”
So, to the pilots, dispatchers, maintenance professionals, operations personnel, and everyone else
working behind the scenes to make that flight happen: thank you.
You may never know the people on the ground who notice you passing overhead. But for one family in
Aurora, Colorado, your nightly flight has become an unexpected bright spot during a very special season
of life.
Wishing you smooth flights, favorable winds, and more sleep than we’re currently getting down here.
Warmly,
An Aurora, Colorado Mom and her two tiny, sleepy Co-Pilots