An Unexpected Approach

Smooth Country Storytelling, Acoustic Guitar, Steel guitar, base guitar, Male vocals

V5.5

[Spoken Intro]
Now here’s a little story about how God watches over fools.
It’s true, I know, ‘cause I was there.
[Verse]
Out on the plains of Nebraska,
On a cold December day,
A young commercial pilot
Got a break from the everyday.
Instead of sitting right seat,
Teaching customers to fly,
He headed for a old private airstrip,
Underneath a cold cloudless sky.
In a dusty hangar was an airplane
Nearly forgotten over time.
A small crew of trusted mechanics,
Said it’s good enough to fly.
But tender loving care,
For it to be airworthy again,
Couldn’t be done out in the wilds,
And that’s where he came in.
“Nothin’ to it,” he said “glad to do it”
And with waiver in his hand,
He and a mechanic climbed aboard
And headed out to Grand Island.
The sun was setting, but they weren’t worried.
Forecasted clear the whole night long.
But when the ground lights started disappearing,
He felt something about to go wrong.
That first radio call to weather,
Set the stage for the night.
This wasn’t going as planned,
But it was going to be alright.
Contrary can be the weather,
And it changes all the time.
So as unforecasted  winter fog rolled in,
He thought of new airports to find.
But the voice on the radio,
Put an end to his plan change.
You see the nearest good weather airport,
Was just beyond this old planes range.
So he settled in his mind the fight,
To fly an unplanned approach,
On instruments untested,
In an unairworthy plane, At night.
The approach he knew for certain,
He taught it every day.
So with Denver center watching
He proceeded on his way.
Grand Island’s tower was closed, 
As it was every night,
And Denver radar would only see him,
Above a certain height.
So they cleared him and said to call when down,
And then wished him good night.
With the needle centered and glide slope found,
He backed out the throttle and started down.
And as he entered the clouds that fateful night,
He knew he’d soon see the ground.
But the night had one more play in mind,
One more challenge to get around,
And after entering the clouds that night,
The panel went completely dark.
The radios dead, the lights gone out.
No navigation cue.
No way to call, no place to find,
What’s a pilot to do?
Climb above the clouds and wait for the fuel to run out?
Or hold your course and trust yourself,
And expect a runway to peak out.
He knew he was on course and glide when the navigation died.
With the instruments that he had left,
He made heading and altitude his guide.
He knew the clouds were well above the approach decision height.
And when he saw the city lights below,
He looked for Runway lights.
In moments they were on the ground,
Headed back to the hangars safe and sound.
[Spoken Outro]
That was a flight I’ll always remember.
You see, I was that pilot.

2755/7500

[Spoken Intro] Now here’s a little story about how God watches over fools. It’s true, I know, ‘cause I was there. [Verse] Out on the plains of Nebraska, On a cold December day, A young commercial pilot Got a break from the everyday. Instead of sitting right seat, Teaching customers to fly, He headed for a old private airstrip, Underneath a cold cloudless sky. In a dusty hangar was an airplane Nearly forgotten over time. A small crew of trusted mechanics, Said it’s good enough to fly. But tender loving care, For it to be airworthy again, Couldn’t be done out in the wilds, And that’s where he came in. “Nothin’ to it,” he said “glad to do it” And with waiver in his hand, He and a mechanic climbed aboard And headed out to Grand Island. The sun was setting, but they weren’t worried. Forecasted clear the whole night long. But when the ground lights started disappearing, He felt something about to go wrong. That first radio call to weather, Set the stage for the night. This wasn’t going as planned, But it was going to be alright. Contrary can be the weather, And it changes all the time. So as unforecasted winter fog rolled in, He thought of new airports to find. But the voice on the radio, Put an end to his plan change. You see the nearest good weather airport, Was just beyond this old planes range. So he settled in his mind the fight, To fly an unplanned approach, On instruments untested, In an unairworthy plane, At night. The approach he knew for certain, He taught it every day. So with Denver center watching He proceeded on his way. Grand Island’s tower was closed, As it was every night, And Denver radar would only see him, Above a certain height. So they cleared him and said to call when down, And then wished him good night. With the needle centered and glide slope found, He backed out the throttle and started down. And as he entered the clouds that fateful night, He knew he’d soon see the ground. But the night had one more play in mind, One more challenge to get around, And after entering the clouds that night, The panel went completely dark. The radios dead, the lights gone out. No navigation cue. No way to call, no place to find, What’s a pilot to do? Climb above the clouds and wait for the fuel to run out? Or hold your course and trust yourself, And expect a runway to peak out. He knew he was on course and glide when the navigation died. With the instruments that he had left, He made heading and altitude his guide. He knew the clouds were well above the approach decision height. And when he saw the city lights below, He looked for Runway lights. In moments they were on the ground, Headed back to the hangars safe and sound. [Spoken Outro] That was a flight I’ll always remember. You see, I was that pilot.

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