'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
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6979388.1722030190!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before residents can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes 'for several weeks.'
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga, Ont.: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Ont., Peel police say.
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn for $146,000 water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six-figure water bill.
FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet during assassination attempt
Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump’s near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president’s ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former U.S. president’s injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Turpel-Lafond won't sue CBC over Cree heritage report that took 'heavy toll': lawyer
The lawyer for a former judge whose claims to be Cree were questioned in a CBC investigation says his client is not considering legal action against the broadcaster after the Law Society of British Columbia this week backed her claims of Indigenous heritage.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.