r/MadeMeSmile • u/nukeskywalkerr • 1h ago
Family & Friends Took my aircraft-loving 4-year-old daughter to the airport to watch the arrivals and departures for the first time
Picture 1&3 shows who we got our love of airplanes from :) I love listening to my dad and Granda talk “shop” about planes and history! Note the radio in picture 3 so we could listen to the arrivals channel.
We were so glad to make it in time to watch the Air France jet land!
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u/Fragrant-Poo42 1h ago
You know she’ll remember this for the rest of her life, right? You just created such a beautiful memory for everyone there.
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u/nukeskywalkerr 1h ago
Thank you so much, I really am emotional thinking about it. Need to save up money to finally get her on a plane, and hopefully a peek into the cockpit 🤞one pilot waved to her and it brought the biggest smile on her face
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u/21MPH21 1h ago
You'll definitely be able to get photos on the flight deck.
My advice (airline captain) get to the gate at least 15 min before the plane (unless it's the planes 1st flight of the day). You want to catch the captain and first officer (not copilot) before they head down or, if they are keeping the plane, be there in case they come up. You can also catch the flight attendants. Just be brief "can she come to the flight deck to take a photo?" They will say yes.
I usually have folks up on the FD after parking but sometimes before the flight. It just depends on my schedule.
But, on every FD there's at least one pilot that would be happy to give her a tour.
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u/hexadumo 1h ago
Also, if your area has an aircraft museum that’s a great place to go for even more in depth stuff. The museum near me has an old 737 and usually has a retired pilot there to show people around and answer questions.
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u/nukeskywalkerr 33m ago
Thank you so much for the advice!!! Will definitely get there early and see what is possible for her ☺️
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u/Big_Surround2048 59m ago
It has nearly a couple decade since the first time I went to the airport for the first time and saw the planes up close, still one of the most memorable days of my life.
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u/EllenStJoe 1h ago
Look at that little future pilot
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u/nukeskywalkerr 1h ago
She certainly will be ❤️ always talks about wanting to fly, or be a bird :) has her eyes in the sky!
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u/BotaFogo78 49m ago
I was the same at that age and now fly an FPV drone with Goggles to be like a bird. She could start with a Tinywhoop.
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u/Little-Ad8674 1h ago
I remember my dad taking me to JFK when I was a kid.
The hustle and bustle was infectious.
I work in the industry now. ◡̈
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u/nukeskywalkerr 1h ago
This makes me emotional ❤️🥹 what a great journey that must have been for you. How is the industry??
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u/troll-filled-waters 1h ago
"My parents must have thought they had a crazy kid
'Cause I was one of those kids who always knew what I wanted
They took me down to the airport to see all the planes departing
Watching them fly something inside of me was starting
I was eight when I told them that I'd be a pilot"
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u/nukeskywalkerr 1h ago
This is so lovely! Honestly brings a tear to my eye… I see my daughter in this quote. Though I don’t see her as crazy ☺️ I love to encourage her loves
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u/Med_omsorg 1h ago edited 1h ago
You’re killing it as a mom, Kudos to you!
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u/nukeskywalkerr 1h ago
Yes! I am her mom but thank you so much ❤️ we love pointing out planes in the sky, I was so happy that we finally made it to the airport. Will head back as soon as we can!
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u/Med_omsorg 1h ago
My bad, I changed it. You’re setting the bar high for the rest of us regardless!
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u/BotaFogo78 37m ago
When pointing out planes in the sky, you can show her flightradar24.com data on your phone for this flight. When you click on one, it shows departure and arrival airports, aircraft type and altitude and speed. Really cool to know where they are going. And small Cessna planes from flight schools are practicing circles.
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u/Amonamission 1h ago
Wow, I didn’t know that planes like that could levitate lol
/s
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u/nukeskywalkerr 1h ago
It is so neat to see them that close!! The Air France jet is so big that when it was approaching it really did look like it was floating
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u/Knitsanity 1h ago
I grew up in HK. One magical thing was watching the planes land at Kai Tak until it closed. Amazing.
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u/No_Trouble9808 1h ago
We did that with my son 35 years ago. I’m proud to say he’s an Air Force Jet Fighter Pilot.
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u/bellybbean 1h ago
I recently listened to an episode of the podcast Search Engine where they talked about how airports got to be what they are now. It returns out that in early days of commercial aviation, some airports would charge a fee for people to go in and watch planes take off and land. I thought that was so interesting.
They mentioned that it’s not a very popular activity these days, but it’s nice to see that it still exists. Maybe your daughter will be my pilot one day!
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u/udderlymoovelous 1h ago
My dad used to take me to JFK to watch planes taking off when I was around 4 or 5. Getting lunch and looking out the window at planes taking off and landing became a core memory and I imagine it will be the same for your daughter.
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u/Splatter_bomb 1h ago
A lot of local, like small county airports , have restaurants for pilots to eat at that also serve the public. See if you can find one because they often have good views.
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u/irena888 1h ago
Check your airport to see if you can enter the secure area on a day pass. At my airport, PSP, (Palm Springs) you can easily sign up on line for a Stay and Play pass which allows you to go through security and enjoy the restaurants, shops, greet passengers as they disembark or board their planes, and view airline departures and arrivals. This would be fun for your little one.
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u/REpassword 1h ago
Tip: with this website you can see where planes high in the sky are coming from, going to, etc. this will keep your crew busy!
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u/Flying_Frenchy 1h ago
Well, that looks A LOT like the threshold of runway 25 in Ottawa... It's always nice to see people waving at us!
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u/MensonTop 1h ago
If only all parents paid this much attention to what their kids want. You guys are amazing parents, you just made her childhood memoties!
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u/nukeskywalkerr 36m ago
Thank you so much for your sweet comment ❤️ it felt really special and I will remember it forever
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u/Uwemann 1h ago
She’s gonna be a pilot 🧑✈️
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u/nukeskywalkerr 37m ago
Absolutely ❤️ if it’s her dream, I will be there for her every step of the way. Hopefully she can take me for a flight one day :)
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u/VegetableFew8773 1h ago
Op- were these pics taken with a phone? They are so crisp!
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u/dearcsona 1h ago
That is such a cool idea. I’m going to have to do that with my kids.
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u/nukeskywalkerr 38m ago
It is a core memory for sure. Very special, highly recommended ❤️ listening to the arrival channel and checking the schedules helps to know when to look at the sky!
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u/craftyhall2 1h ago
I was casually taken for some planespotting when I was about 9yo. Still doing it 50yrs later;)
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u/Acegolfer04 53m ago
My grandpa did that for me watching the Cross Sound Ferry on Long Island. Even on birthdays he took me across for a round trip with lunchon boat
Now Im an AB at Cross Sound
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u/Emergency_Brief_9280 46m ago
Where is this that you can get so close to taxiing and landing aircraft?
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u/nukeskywalkerr 39m ago
This is at YOW! It’s very cool to get so close!
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u/theblendismagic 5m ago
I knew it was YOW! Hello from Orleans! My parents used to take us to watch the planes land as kids and it was so much fun. I think we would get fries from a chip wagon that was a bus (?) at the corner of Hunt Club and Riverside (I am old). Great pics and thanks for bringing back the memories!
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u/mmoonbelly 1h ago
Next stop St Maarten/st Martin ;)
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u/jeffreymurdock1 1h ago
She will be blown away at that runway 😀
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u/mmoonbelly 59m ago
My kids loved it - there are a couple of restaurants either side of the flight path where you can get lunch and watch the planes come in, then head into the bay for the AitFrance or KLM flight (depending which day)
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u/StuBidasol 29m ago
The airport near where I grew up had a small parking lot near the arriving planes that you could park and watch them land.
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u/TondalayaSwartzkopf 23m ago
This was my favorite thing to do as a kid. My dad was an engineer, so I grew up reading Aviation Week and Space Technology. I could spot and ID aircraft before I could recognize pop music stars! LOL
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u/SheneedaCocktail 10m ago
Aw, what a good dad. My dad did the same for us when I was a kid, and it is one of my favorite memories of him.
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