A Delta Air Lines pilot left a touching note one year ago in Victorville, at the beginning of the lockdown. Even though there was no way he could have known back then how the world was going to change, the first two weeks of lockdown had begun, and the officer took the plane to Victorville, California.
Little did he suspect it would stay parked there not for 14 days, but for the next 435 days!
What are the details?
On June 10 Delta Air Lines posted a note left by one of its pilots right at the start of the pandemic, in Victorville.
According to Fox News, First Officer Chris Dennis, was in charge of taking the plane to Victorville, California from Minneapolis.
“Taking off from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, he heard talks of a two-week lockdown. Feeling the weight of the moment, he penned a note for the pilot that would do the return to service flight and left it on the parked plane,” the airline wrote on social media.
Delta officials have revealed that the note was dated March 23, 2020. In it the pilot wished the next officer who would bring the plane out of storage a safe flight.
And that wish takes on a whole new meaning after the plane has been on the ground for such a long time due to the lockdown.
The little note was tucked away in the cockpit of an Airbus A321 aircraft, in a folded-up tray.
The officials shared that in the beginning First Officer Dennis was sure that the airplane will only remain in California for about 14 days. However, the plane staid parked in the same place for 435 days!
The note was discovered on June 1 by another pilot who went to bring the plane out of storage in Victorville.
“Fast forward more than a year later to First Officer Nick P. landing and starting on his checklist to wake up ship 3009. One thing he didn't expect to find was Chris' letter, tucked away on a tray table in the flight deck.
Those 57 words, which captured so much of the uncertainty and emotion we all felt in March 2020, underscored the gravity of the trip, and how optimistic he now feels about the direction we're heading in.
Ship 3009 is now prepared to take the skies once again,” Delta’s post reads.
“While the world certainly has changed over the past year, one thing is for certain: we won't be taking that open runway for granted anytime soon,” the post about the Victorville pilot concludes.