Capt. Jason Ward (Delta)
‘This Sure Beat the Heck Out Of Microsoft Flight Simulator!’
The first cockpit I had ever entered was craftily constructed out of a blanket draped over the back of a desk, a joystick, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. My two younger sisters were privileged to become the first passengers in an exhilarating flight across the country in a Boeing 747. Unfortunately the flight was cut short when a passenger improperly opened the emergency escape door in flight to go outside to ride her bicycle.
At age 12, I could only imagine what the sensation of piloting an actual aircraft would be like. While I always had awe for aviation, the thought of becoming a pilot was just a distant dream—a dream that soon became a reality thanks to the only pilot I knew at my age, my father.
A young Jason Ward sits at the controls of a B-767—the same airplane he flies today for Delta.
As I approached the colossal DC-10, my father’s pride and joy, I noticed even the tires were taller than me. As we entered the flight deck, I was dazed. How could anyone ever remember what all these buttons and switches do? Firmly secured into the jumpseat, I watched in admiration as my father manipulated these controls in a steady rhythm while speaking in a dialect I could only assume he learned from his favorite TV show, Star Trek. I don’t think I blinked for an entire hour in fear of missing anything. This sure beat the heck out of Microsoft Flight Simulator! Once we leveled off at cruise altitude, I was exhausted from all the excitement and did what any 12 year old would do at this point: take a nap.
When I awoke, I found myself in a completely different world—it was night. While the glowing array of mystifying instruments was visually overwhelming, the pitch-black sky and steady hum of the engines instilled a soothing feeling in me. The calmness of the cockpit and smooth ride was short-lived, however. As we began our descent into Anchorage, Alaska, the aircraft started to shake as if we were driving over hundreds of mini speedbumps in a car. There were a lot of beeps, bongs, radio chatter, and more Romulan talk. As we continued the descent, my father reached forward and with the flick of a single switch the black sky became a bright reflection of white snow flying at the windshield at a million miles an hour…or so I thought. I was having the time of my life!
Just a few minutes later the bumps stopped and the snow disappeared, but my eyes flew wide open as I saw that we were headed straight toward massive snowcapped mountains. I glanced at my father to see if he was aware of the rigid obstacles ahead. Just as I was about to become the youngest active jumpseat pilot, the plane began to turn. Then there it was—the rows of yellow, red, green, and white lights that formed my favorite part of every flight simulator game I had ever played, the approach and landing. Time stood still until the squeak of the tires contacting the runway brought me back to reality.
It wasn’t until about an hour later while sharing a pizza with my father that I began to grasp everything I had just experienced. I decided right then and there that I, too, would become a pilot. I knew the path ahead would be very challenging, but it didn’t matter—I had made my decision and would do whatever it took. Today I fly the B-767 and the C-17 Globemaster all over the world and am living the dream I had 20 years ago. As a pilot, the challenges never stop; so on every flight I heed advice from my father and take a quick moment to look outside, soak it all in, and be thankful for the amazing job I have.
