A video of an airline pilot making an announcement before a flight went viral on Instagram.
Captain Anselm Dewar was moved to tears on informing his passengers they had a “VIP aboard” for a return flight from Miami to Charleston, South Carolina—the VIP was his father, who would be sitting at the controls with him.
The flight was the first they'd shared together in Dewar’s 10 years as a pilot.
The captain, with Envoy Air/American Eagle, a regional branch of American Airlines, had qualified for commercial flights in 2011, having dreamt of being a pilot since the age of 3.
“The stars aligned and I was finally able to get my dad out on a trip with me on the jet,” he wrote.
In his touching message, Dewar introduced passengers to the “VIP” with a little background—born in Kingston, Jamaica, Dewar’s father migrated to Toronto, Canada, in the late ‘60s; now he lives in Georgia state.
“For the past 34 years he’s had to deal with me, and I think he’s done a great job at it,” Dewar joked, his voice cracking as he shared words of gratitude.
“I’m trying to hold the tears back; I didn’t think I’d cry, but this is a very special and very important flight to me because it’s the first time I’ve flown with my father.
“I’m just very thankful. I’m very blessed.”
Dewar promised to make the flight—a belated birthday gift for his dad—as comfortable as possible.
The pilot credits his father for his early passion in aviation.
Since qualifying in 2011, Dewar had wanted the opportunity to fly his parents—until now. He said that he and his father are now working on getting his mother onboard to share in what he loves best.
