Rose despised flying, yet she found herself on a plane once again—a necessary evil to visit her husband, Bill, who worked as a miner in Texas. Despite the long periods of separation and his insistence that she remain in Omaha, she had convinced him to allow monthly visits. Those weekend getaways had become cherished moments in their relationship, even if Bill grumbled about the risks, reminding her that she was nine months pregnant.
On one fateful flight back from Texas, while Rose was returning to Omaha, the plane suddenly hit turbulence. As the rattling grew more intense, her water broke unexpectedly. Embarrassed and overwhelmed, she initially feared it was a mere loss of bladder control—until contractions began in earnest. Panicked, she cried out, “I’m having a baby!” catching the attention of a nearby flight attendant.
The attendant quickly alerted the pilot, Drew, who then contacted the closest airport to secure a landing clearance. However, due to severe weather, that airport was unable to accommodate their aircraft. With time rapidly running out and Rose’s condition deteriorating—she was now feverish and struggling to remain conscious—Drew made a critical decision. Knowing the area well, he identified an abandoned airstrip nearby, even though its runway was far too short for a plane of their size. When his rookie co-pilot, Stan, protested that landing there violated regulations, Drew countered, “Sometimes saving a life means following your conscience over the rules.”
As they circled the desolate airfield, Rose’s contractions grew more frequent. With no control tower to guide them, Drew took a leap of faith and brought the aircraft down onto the makeshift runway. After several tense minutes, the plane finally touched the ground. Moments later, as the hatch was opened, an ambulance carrying EMTs and Bill—her husband—raced towards them, joined by media vans and curious onlookers.
Bill quickly assisted his wife into the ambulance, and they sped off to the hospital. There, doctors placed her in a private room and soon determined that she was too exhausted to push; a C-section was necessary. Although Bill was initially kept out of the delivery room, he was eventually allowed in to meet their new baby and see Rose recovering. The ordeal left him shaken—so much so that he quit his job that very day, deciding that when they returned to Omaha, they would stay for good.
Grateful for the pilot’s decisive action, Bill later learned his name and chose to honor him by naming their child after him. Despite the relief and joy that followed, Rose vowed never to board another airplane again.