A pilot on his first-ever commercial flight fought back tears of pride when his girlfriend and mom surprised him in the cockpit after landing having secretly flown with him.
Over the past few years, Mason Kendrick, 30, from Salt Lake City, Utah, had put in countless hours of training and build flights, with his girlfriend, Hannah Bentley, 26, supporting him every step of the way.
When Mason added a note into their shared calendar, saying he was set to pilot his first commercial flight, Hannah immediately knew she had to be there to support and congratulate him.
She called Mason’s mom, Michelle, and said she was thinking of doing “something crazy” and booking a seat on the plane.
Michelle was all in, too, and the pair purchased standby tickets in the hope that they would make it onto the flight.
Having received the good news, Hannah and Michelle headed to the airport, with the plan being to fly on Mason’s plane from Salt Lake City to Helena and directly back again.
As they assumed Mason would be nervous, they initially wanted to surprise him on the return leg.
But when a flight attendant told them Mason seemed calm and would love to know they were onboard, Hannah and Michelle decided to surprise him once they had landed in Helena on the first leg.
On May 6, after Mason had completed the flight and all the passengers had departed, Hannah and Michelle made their way into the cockpit.
When a stunned Mason saw the familiar faces, he didn’t know how to react – first beaming with pride, before fighting back tears at the thoughtful gesture.
Speaking of the moment, Hannah said: “I was already emotional knowing how much this milestone meant to Mason.
“But watching him realize we had surprised him and seeing how touched he was made me incredibly proud and grateful.
“His mom and I were completely giddy the entire day.
“From hiding in the bathroom at the Salt Lake City airport while we waited for him to board so we could sneak to our gate, to flying home and deplaning back in Salt Lake City, we just kept looking at each other and saying, ‘I wish we could relive this every day.’
“The best part was seeing how much it meant to him. Mason has shown up for so many of my biggest milestones and has always been my biggest supporter, so I felt incredibly lucky to be there to celebrate one of his.
“I hope the video reminds people that showing up for the people you love can have a huge impact.
“Grand gestures aren’t always necessary, but making someone feel seen and supported during an important milestone can create memories that last a lifetime.”
