Tears as Pilot Embarks on the 'Most Memorable Flight' of His Career

Life & Trends Reporter

A video of a pilot sharing an emotional moment on a historic flight has left TikTok users in tears.

The viral video was posted six days ago by @jshue85, who is a pilot according to his TikTok profile, and has had over 449,000 views at the time of writing. A message overlaid on the clip reads: "United Airlines pilot flies his parents for the very first time."

The footage shows the pilot, who introduces himself as Jason in the video, standing at the front of a plane cabin, sharing a speech with passengers over the PA system. As it turns out, his parents were seated a few rows back. The flight was due to take off from Los Angeles, California, and land in Denver, Colorado.

"Today, this will be the most memorable flight of my career. You see, the two most important, supportive, and loving people in my life over the last 38 years—my parents—are on a flight that I am operating for the very first time," the pilot says.

@jshue85
Today, after close to 9 years as an Airline Pilot, I finally had the opportunity to have my parents on one of my flights! They sacraficed so much over the years to ensure my dreams became a reality. Today, will hands down, be the most MEMORABLE flight I will have operated. #airlinepilot #airlinepilotlife #pilotparents #unitedairlines #unitedairlinestiktok #aviation #avgeek #avgeeksoftiktok #ngpa #firstofficer #boeing737 #lax guppy@ABC News @NBC @Jimmy Kimmel Live @KTLA 5 Entertainment @CNN
♬ original sound - J-Shue

He continued, "They finally get to see the product of all their hard work and dedication over the years," as passengers are heard clapping in the background.

The viral post comes as the pilot profession was named among the "100 Best Jobs" in the 2023 edition of the annual ranking by U.S. News, coming in at number 48 this year. The job ranked fourth among the listing's "Best Social Service Jobs" and 10th among the "Best Paying Jobs."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a pilot's median salary in 2022 was reported to be $148,900.

A caption shared with the TikTok video reads: "Today, after close to 9 years as an airline pilot, I finally had the opportunity to have my parents on one of my flights! They sacrificed so much over the years to ensure my dreams became a reality. Today, will hands down, be the most MEMORABLE flight I will have operated."

The pilot said in his speech that he had dreamt of being a pilot since he was 4 years old, and he wanted to "publicly acknowledge all the hard work and especially all of the sacrifices my mom and dad had made over the years."

Appearing visibly choked up, the pilot briefly moves the intercom phone away from his face and takes a deep breath before saying, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being the very best parents a guy could ever hope for. I think I've made you proud."

He later assured passengers that "this will be the safest flight you've ever been on, not only because my parents are on this flight, but when we land in Denver, mom's feet will be pressed firmly on the floor...ensuring this plane safely comes to a stop.

"Mom and Dad, I love you. Thank you for a great week visiting me here in LA. Now why don't you sit back and relax and enjoy your 1 hour and 52 minute flight to the Mile High City," the pilot concludes. The camera pans towards his smiling parents before the clip ends.