“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” ― Leonardo da Vinci
In 2017, a student choir from Luxembourg called LGE (Lycée des Garçons d’Esch-sur-Alzette) surprised a captain with a sweet impromptu serenade.
Captain Ronald Smith was an airline pilot. For 32 long and fruitful years, he has been a proud pilot for United Airlines and last 2017; he boarded his last flight for he was set to retire.
The flight was bound from Chicago to Brussels, and the unknowing pilot didn’t expect what would happen next.
When the student choir of the Lycée des Garçons d’Esch-sur-Alzette or LGE had heard about Captain Smith’s retirement, they immediately set to honor him in the best way they know how – to sing for him.
The plan was really simple – after all the other passengers got off the plane, the students went to their places and waited for the captain to come out of the pit. Then, they formed a semi-circle and began singing.
They chose the song ‘Viva La Vida’ from Coldplay. Viva la Vida literally translates to “Long Live Life.”
These amazing teens gave a beautiful a cappella version of the hit song and all of them were giving their all.
Captain Smith is seen enjoying the performance as he was smiling while enjoying the song.
Other employees of the airline and the flight attendants are seen taking a video of this memorable moment.
We’re sure that while they were singing, flashbacks of his life as a pilot came rushing back in. The happy moments, the unforgettable funny situations he has seen, and the people he loved like family.
His work was his life and he proved that time flies when you love your work. This is truly a beautiful yet sad day for this kind captain.
The video was uploaded by Nicolas Elsen and has gone viral. Today it has already more than 57k likes and 1.7 million views on YouTube.
Captain Smith was even seen teary-eyed.
“That was beautiful. Wow,” he said as the song came to an end.
Everyone clapped and were all so happy that the captain was all smiles.
“Thank you so much! That was amazing. I really really enjoyed that”, Captain Smith said to the crowd.
One of the comments on Nelson’s upload was none other than Lindsay Smith, the captain’s daughter. She has a simple message for everyone.
“This is my dad and I wanted to thank each and every one of you for this beautiful gift. He was very touched and so was the whole family. He is a great pilot and an even better Dad, thank you for doing this for him. I know you have no way of knowing this but Coldplay is one of his favorite bands so you couldn’t have chosen a better song. Thank you! ❤️”
Truly, Captain Ronald Smith deserved the honor and appreciation of many. Cheers!
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