Prayer in the Cockpit

Black clouds billowed over the Denver Stapleton Airport, and lightning flashed continually as thunder rolled like giant timpani. My husband, Kenneth, and I were preparing to fly a huge oil-well drill on an emergency charter to Rock Springs, Wyoming. Ken had invited me to go along as his copilot.

We loaded the cargo, jumped into the twin-engine airplane, and called for taxi instructions. As we taxied to the runway, the tower cleared us for takeoff on a runway to the north, advising us that a heavy hailstorm was approaching from the south. To the north, however, the sky was clear, so we felt confident of a safe journey. As we lifted off with our heavy load, we looked back at the airport and saw the familiar but ominous green cast in the clouds that signals severe storms. At that moment the tower announced that planes flying in should avoid the Denver airport due to the heavy hail predicted. The storm was right on our tail, and we braced ourselves for a rough flight.

Even though we could still see the ground, we asked for an instrument flight clearance in case we went into the clouds. Lightning streaked through the sky all around us, lighting up the cockpit and making our hair stand on end. Our skin prickled with electricity, and the plane bounced and rolled with the turbulent storm. Even with nearly twenty thousand hours of flight time between us, we could both feel the heavy tension.

The flight to Rock Springs took about an hour, and we fought the storm all the way. Finally, we landed at Rock Springs and delivered the drill to our waiting customers.

We checked in with the weather service. The Denver airport was open, but the storm was still in the area and the airport could be closed again at any moment. After considering our options, we decided to take off for Denver and hope that the airport would remain open. If not, we could go on to an alternate landing field. I have always had a strong the gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of prayer, but Ken had never thought of prayer as a reality or felt the need for religion. But as we prepared to take off for Denver, I didn’t think I could face the trip home without the Lord’s help. We got into the plane, taxied to the end of the runway, and stopped. Since we had never prayed together, I summoned all my courage and asked Ken if I could pray aloud for both of us. To my surprise, Ken agreed and even clasped his hands and bowed his head. My prayer was brief. I first thanked God for our safe journey so far, then I asked for safety and comfort on the way home.

Ken started the plane. We rolled down the runway, and the plane lifted off like a graceful bird. Immediately, we ran into rough weather. The lightning flashed. The plane shuddered and bobbed in the storm. This flight was even worse than our earlier trip. But there was no fear in the cockpit. We both felt calm and at peace. The Lord had given us an immediate answer to our prayer. While the storm continued to rage on the outside, we felt total peace inside, and it lasted all the way back to Denver, where we landed safely.

Ken was so impressed with our experience that he began to study the gospel. He was baptized on 6 April 1972.