542 - Father and Son

Some photos don't need a lot of words.

This is such a beautiful example of having your child follow in your footsteps.

In this picture, my brother is watching his son (my nephew) take off on an exercise.

Pilots run in my family. ( or should I have said, pilots fly in my family?)

My own father was a B-29 pilot and remained in the Air Force Reserves for many years.

My brother followed in his footsteps and became an F-15 pilot. He almost didn't make it because of knee injuries incurred from playing football in high school.

But he persisted and made it happen.

He later went on to be a commercial pilot for Delta.

At the time of his career change, he likened it to Mario Andretti becoming a bus driver.

My nephew grew up around planes and also joined the Air Force as an F-16 pilot. He too is now a pilot for Delta and is active in the Air Guard.

Did they plan it this way?

No.

Some things can't be planned.

But as I look at this picture, I can imagine how my brother feels as he watches his son take off.

I imagine him singing to himself, "Off we go into the wild blue yonder..."

Some children follow their parents career path and others don't.

Do you have a child that followed, or is planning to follow in your career path?