Beautiful poem....

[Chauncey]

Hey all,

My girlfriend emailed me this poem and I honestly came to tears. I think of my grandfather, the soul who introduced me to this wonderful love affair with airplanes. Apparently, it was written in memoriam of pilots who died during WWII. Absolutely beautiful writing, IMHO.

"Celestial Flight"

He is not dead-but only flying higher,
Higher than he's flown before,
And earthly limitations
Will hinder him no more.

There is no service ceiling,
Or any fuel range.
And there is no anoxia
Or need for engine change.

Thank god that now his flight can be
To heights his eyes had scanned,
Where he can race with comets,
And buzz the rainbow's span.

For he is universal,
Like courage, love and hope,
And all free, sweet emotions
Of vast and godly scope.

And understand a pilot's fate
Is not the thing he fears,
But rather sadness left behind,
Your heartbreak and your tears.

So all you loved ones, dry your eyes,
Yes, it is wrong that you should grieve,
For he would love your courage no more,
And he would want you to believe,

He is not dead.
You should have known
That he is only flying higher,
Higher than he's flown before.

 

[FSIPILOT]

Thank you for posting.

My dear long time friend, a national aerobatic champ and JAL Ways 747 pilot lost his father, a retired US Air Capt. this morning. I will send this passage along to him.

 

[cecyt1300]

Chauncey,

Thanks for sharing this with everyone. It's really beautiful. I kept a copy of it to share with people, and just to have it.

Thanks again,
Dan