Thumper
Pre-takeoff checklist
My six year old grandson was in for a visit and I decided to take him to the USS Yorktown for the morning. I thought it would be a great opportunity to let him run, climb, exercise, and see some planes that may get him interested in aviation. I wasn't prepared for his reaction.
As we mounted the stairs to the flight deck he ran into the sunlight and stopped dead in his tracks. I saw him look left and right. Then he turned to me with a face full of awe when he proclaimed "THIS IS AWESOME!"
He proceeded to go to every plane on the flight deck. Later, I took him through the Medal of Honor Museum onboard just so he would have an idea of what it represents. I turned and saw him at one of the interactive displays. When I asked what he was doing, he said he was looking to see if anyone with his name (Cooper) had ever been awarded the medal. He was so excited when he found John Cooper.
Who knows what lies ahead for him, but I enjoyed listening to him tell his dad that they were NOT fighter jets, they were NAVY jets....... I thought this picture looked like a young pilot who just finished the briefing and strolls confidently across the deck headed out for the mission. OK, a grandpa can dream, huh?
As we mounted the stairs to the flight deck he ran into the sunlight and stopped dead in his tracks. I saw him look left and right. Then he turned to me with a face full of awe when he proclaimed "THIS IS AWESOME!"
He proceeded to go to every plane on the flight deck. Later, I took him through the Medal of Honor Museum onboard just so he would have an idea of what it represents. I turned and saw him at one of the interactive displays. When I asked what he was doing, he said he was looking to see if anyone with his name (Cooper) had ever been awarded the medal. He was so excited when he found John Cooper.
Who knows what lies ahead for him, but I enjoyed listening to him tell his dad that they were NOT fighter jets, they were NAVY jets....... I thought this picture looked like a young pilot who just finished the briefing and strolls confidently across the deck headed out for the mission. OK, a grandpa can dream, huh?
