Delta Pilot Tried To Honor 102-Year-Old WWII Vet With Water Salute…ATC Shut It Down

by SharonKurheg
A Delta crew wanted to honor a 102-year-old WWII veteran with a water salute—but Pittsburgh ATC had to shut it down. Here’s what happened and why.
We don’t have much information beyond air traffic control audio. But apparently on February 14th, the pilot of Delta Flight 1353 (ATL – PIT) asked controllers in Pittsburgh if a water cannon salute could be arranged to honor a 102-year-old World War II veteran who was onboard.
“Our operations is trying to set up a water salute,” the pilot told ATC. “We have a VIP on board that’s got seventy combat missions in World War II. He’s a hundred and two years old and apparently has a ton of medals.”
ATC checked with the tower, but came back with bad news. They told the pilot that the request couldn’t be approved because temperatures were around minus seven degrees, which could freeze the ramp and create a safety hazard.
The controllers also said the airport doesn’t perform water salutes anymore, because of after a previous incident where firefighters accidentally sprayed foam instead of water and it went into aircraft engines (I’ve searched for this incident an can’t find it, at least for PIT. However similar incidents did happen at Washington Dulles, Dubai Int’l, and the Netherlands’ Leewarden Air Base, among others).
The pilot showed he had a good sense of humor about the whole thing – he said he already felt bad about asking and now felt worse for not checking the weather first. He also joked that he’s a southerner and “isn’t used to that kind of cold.”
Here’s the audio of the conversation:
@atc.audio #atc #pilot #aviation ♬ original sound – ATC AUDIO

All in all, it was a thoughtful gesture. And while it’s easy to wish they could have made it happen, the safety concerns—especially in those temperatures—make the decision understandable.

Still, it would’ve been a pretty incredible sight for a 102-year-old veteran who flew 70 combat missions. The respect behind the gesture was unmistakable.

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