Airline pilot gets on same frequency as colleague and recognizes his daughter's voice within seconds: 'Hi Ava'
'Well, good evening, Ava...' her father said, to which she immediately confirmed, 'Dad?'
High above the clouds, Ava Almquist (@pilot.avabelle), a commercial pilot, heard a voice that felt too familiar to ignore. Well, it turned out to be her father, a fellow pilot, who happened to recognize her voice on the frequency. Overwhelmed, Almquist posted the beautiful aviation moment on her Instagram page. So far, the video has been viewed over 4 million times.
Almquist, an airline pilot, had just started her career; in fact, it had only been six months since she'd been flying. On one such flight, she was taking ATC (Air Traffic Control) instructions when her dad, also a pilot, recognized her voice on the radio. Both happened to be flying on the same frequency, and after a brief moment of surprise, they exchanged a quick greeting before carrying on with their respective flights.
"Well, good evening, Ava..." Almquist's father said, to which she immediately confirmed, "Dad?" He replied, "You got it." Both of them laughed at the sheer coincidence and resumed their professional duties. "I thought this was too cool not to post. About six months in as an airline pilot, my dad and I happened to be on the same frequency; he recognized my voice and said hi, and to this day it’s still one of my favorite memories," Almquist wrote in the caption.
Being a pilot is demanding, but it also offers unforgettable flying experiences and a unique satisfaction and freedom above the clouds. While everyone may have a different reason to choose an aviation career, family influence is often a powerful source of inspiration.
PrivateFly.com conducted an online survey of pilots across the aviation spectrum and found 29% of military pilots chose the aviation career because they had at least one pilot family member. In fact, when respondents were asked their top reasons for choosing an aviation career, the majority of respondents (65%) said they were living their childhood dream of wanting to become a pilot. "This was followed by 'To give you the ability to travel' in second place (19%) and 'Your father/other family member(s) was a pilot' in third (16%)," the survey noted.
While it isn't certain that Almquist chose aviation because of her pilot dad, he must have been an inspiration at some level.
Meanwhile, netizens were in 'awe' watching the sweet father-daughter moment; for instance, @pilotshauna commented, "This is so precious; why am I tearing up? You just know he was so proud in that moment!"
@kewar shared, "I got to work with my dad for a short period of time. I was his boss. I’ll never forget how he beamed when I’d give him assignments/train him, or how he'd tell people at work how proud he was of me. Special forever." Similarly, @desirae_rose1 confessed, "The way you said 'dad?' the first time to verify it was him literally made my heart flutter! Such a cool experience for you both!
You can follow Ava Almquist (@pilot.avabelle) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.
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