Their bond goes back to his childhood, when Ryan Godard was a tiny boy, and Colleen Godard was his loving grandmother who taught him to dream big and be happy.
“Oh, you wouldn’t believe. I don’t have words for how proud I am of him,” Colleen told CHEK News Wednesday.
“(She is) just so positive. I’ve never seen my grandma have a bad day,” said Ryan.
So, as soon as the Black Creek man earned his pilot’s license, he knew who he wanted to take up in the seat beside him: his 96-year-old grandmother. He brought his camera along to share their flight out of Campbell River on April 22 with family.
“My own grandchild flying the plane and me there,” said a smiling Colleen.
What the camera records are moments of magic: “And we’re flying, grandma,” Ryan can be heard saying on the in-plane camera.
“Oh, this is so beautiful. Thank you, God, for making my life so beautiful. And take care of my most loved pilot,” responds Colleen.
“I looked over at my grandma, and she’s got her face pressed up against the windows, and I’m like, we’re fine. This is great,” said Ryan.
“It’s my accomplishment, but it’s also my grandma’s.”
The video has circulated around Campbell River’s airport, and even longtime flight instructors at Sealand Flight, where Godard learned to fly, said Colleen’s response was unlike anything they’ve seen.
“Ryan’s grandmother is the sweetest person I have ever seen on a video. She’s fantastic,” said Nancy Marshall, manager of Sealand Flight.
Ryan and Colleen are already planning a second flight and even throwing around the idea of flying helicopters, after the 96-year-old felt what it was like to soar again, only this time in the safe hands of her grandson.
Skye Ryan
