'It's pure joy!': B.C. pilot takes 96-year-old grandma on meaningful flight
“Good to see you,” Ryan Godard says before giving his 96-year-old grandma a big hug and walking her towards the small airplane. “Let’s get you prepped.”
To appreciate why the pair are preparing to take flight for the first time together, you need to know what Colleen Godard recently said about her 13 other grandchildren.
“I love you all equally,” she smiles before breaking into a big laugh. “But only one of you has a plane!”
Only Ryan had just crossed earning a pilot’s licence off his bucket list .
“A lot of people want to go flying,” Ryan says. “But I don’t know if anyone deserves to go flying more than my grandma.”
Because his Gigi — as Ryan affectionately calls her — has been inspiring him to live life to the fullest since he was a child.
“It’s better to face challenges and be positive,” Ryan says of what his Gigi taught him. “And just do things.”
Like when Colleen accepted the invitation to fly – after initially declining.
“I said, ‘Just remember, Ryan, I’m 96,” Colleen recalls. “My legs are really bad.”
But then she decided that, despite her age being a big number, she didn’t want to have an even bigger regret about not flying with her grandson.
So instead of blaming adversity for keeping her grounded, she smiled while being helped into the two-seater plane, and started expressing gratitude for her grandson lifting her up.
“Oh this is so beautiful!” Colleen says repeatedly while beaming out the window of the plane during their flight. “Oh wow! That’s super!”
Ryan attached a couple cameras on the wing of the plane, and in the cockpit, recording the entire flight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaluaDW1xVU)
The video shows them flying beside mountains, and over her home, before he takes his eyes of the gauges for a moment, followed by her turning away from the window, and they both happen to look at each other at the same time with appreciative smiles.
Colleen grabs on to her grandson’s arm and gave it a kiss. Ryan responds with, “I love you so much, grandma!”
“I can’t believe I’m so lucky,” Colleen beams.
“Me too!” Ryan smiles. “That’s exactly how I feel too!”
After they landed, he apologized for it being a “little bumpy” and she responded proudly that it was “beautifully done!”
“It’s so marvellous! Doggone it!” she exclaims with a big smile. “You know it might not be the last time!”
“I hope not, grandma,” Ryan smiles. “I’d love to take you back up again.”
Back at Colleen’s home, the 96-year-old is reflecting on living through life’s inevitable tailwinds and turbulence.
“The ‘downs’ don’t matter so much because you can’t change them,” Colleen saying before explaining that we can choose to be “up.”
“We can change ourselves.”
While Ryan credits his Gigi with inspiring him to stop waiting and start crossing items off his bucket list like learning to fly, he also suggests we can all learn how to live a more meaningful life from his Gigi.
“Her enjoyment of life is just so bright,” Ryan smiles. “It’s infectious.”
“It’s a joy,” Colleen says of flying through life fuelled with gratitude, “It’s pure joy!”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prime minister faces mounting pressure to step aside from inside caucus
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will face mounting pressure from his caucus this week to step down from the leadership of the Liberal party.
Bloc won't hold Liberals 'hostage' over seniors' benefits: cabinet minister
Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says the Liberals will not be 'held hostage' by the Bloc Quebecois' demand to expand Old Age Security to more seniors.
Police identify Toronto victim of alleged serial killer
Toronto police have identified the woman who was allegedly killed by a suspected serial killer earlier this month.
Missing father, kids spotted in New Zealand wilderness 3 years after disappearance: police
A New Zealand man who disappeared with his three children in 2021 was spotted on a farm along the country's northwest coast, police say.
No jail time for man who fatally stabbed senior in Vancouver
A man who stabbed a senior to death in Vancouver's Biltmore Hotel building in 2020 has been given a conditional sentence for the killing, meaning he will not serve any jail time if he remains on good behaviour in the community.
B.C. billionaire posts third large sign criticizing NDP ahead of the election
British Columbia billionaire Chip Wilson has put up yet another billboard message to voters, his third post outside his multimillion-dollar mansion in NDP Leader David Eby's own riding.
Great white shark washes up on B.C. shore
In a rare occurrence, a bona fide great white shark washed up on a B.C. beach Thursday.
EXCLUSIVE: 'We were privileged to be friends with our sister': Family mourns murdered N.S. woman
More than a month after the murder of Nova Scotia woman Esther Jones, her family continues to grapple with the loss.
Job growth numbers 'good news' in Canada but there are concerns, according to an economist
An economist says the latest job growth numbers in Canada are 'good news,' but he has concerns following Statistic Canada's report.