Being able to spend time with my mom is one of the things I miss most about living in the same country as her. There is nothing more special than the mother-daughter bond.
One mother-daughter duo from Colorado is breaking new ground by becoming the first mother-daughter team to pilot a Southwest flight together!
According to The Denver Channel, for the past 18 years, Holly Petitt has made a successful career for herself as a Southwest Airlines pilot. But now, her 25-year-old daughter, Keely Petitt, will be joining her inside the cockpit.
According to the news outlet, Keely proudly said, “I grew up watching my mom, just an awesome example of what it means to be in aviation and a strong female pilot. And when I was little, I would always go with her on her trips.”
Since she was around 13, Keely already had an inkling about what she wanted to do for a future career. It all started one Christmas, as Keely recalls, “For Christmas, she got each of us kids a flight where you go up in just a small plane with an instructor for an hour and get to see what it’s like. And I just remember going up on my intro flight, ‘Oh my gosh, this is what I want to do forever.’”
Then, this May, Keely earned her wings. Her new employer happened to be Southwest Airlines – just like Holly! It was a dream come true, as Keely described it. But, more importantly, it meant that she’d have a chance to actually fly alongside her mother.
The big moment finally happened on July 23. It just so happened that both their schedules finally linked up and they were both assigned to the Southwest flight 3376 going from Denver to St. Louis. At last, mother and daughter were going to be working together on the same flight in the same cockpit together. They were excited!
In fact, a very giddy Holly made a special announcement on their flight, telling passengers, “I’m going to interrupt my normally scheduled briefing here for some exciting news: Today is a really special day for me. I would like to introduce to you your first officer, a brand-new member of the Southwest team of pilots and my daughter, Keely Petitt. Keely, come on out here.”
The plane was full of 175 passengers, all of who applauded the mother-daughter duo in their excitement.
Holly added, “Thank you all for being here. This is an exciting day for us and for Southwest Airlines; a very special day. We are the first mother-daughter duo ever on the flight deck of Southwest Airlines, so thank you for being here.”
Check out the video below:
Wow! How awesome is it that this mother and daughter finally got to realize a lifelong dream together? Tell us what you think!