Tobago-born man pilots United flight with mom onboard.
Florida-based pilot Jerome Lawrence moved passengers to tears aboard a recent United flight from Houston to Port of Spain when he shared his dream of flying his parents.
The Tobago-born pilot surprised his mother, who was onboard the flight in first-class, when he announced to passengers that he’d accomplished that mission.
Sadly, his father, Junior John “Jumbo” Lawrence couldn’t physically be there as he passed away on Christmas Day last year. But Jerome said he was certain he was watching over them.
“I wasn’t going to do it, was going to wait till I became Captain etc., but as one of my good, good friends said there’s no time like the present. If we keep waiting for the right opportunity, we’ll always miss it.
I missed the opportunity with the big guy and wasn’t going to miss another one. So, I went through with it,” he said in a post on his Facebook page.
He thanked the flight crew for making it happen as they helped to keep his involvement in the flight a secret from his mother.
Mama Lawrence was surprised as it took some time for it to set in and that her son was standing in front of her, announcing that he’d be flying that leg of the journey to Trinidad.
Jerome said his knees were weak and his throat was dry as he spoke, but he said he powered through and kept it “classy”.
He and his mother shared a heartwarming hug after he’d made the announcement, causing many to wipe away tears at that point.
When they’d landed, Jerome’s mom was happy to report that it was an excellent flight, completed with a smooth landing.
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