Delta Pilot who flew through Hurricane Irma is NC State graduate

Ok, I know this isn’t sports related, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless.

In case you didn’t hear, there was a bit of controversy around Delta not cancelling flights that were going to fly through the outer band of Hurrican Irma. It was a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to JFK in NYC.  All other airlines had already cancelled their flights, but not Delta. They believed there was a small path that the pilot could get through before the hurricane got too bad.

Here they go! DL302 now taxiing for takeoff before #Irma gets really bad. pic.twitter.com/CNfk5L6oaa

— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017

Obviously, the passengers were a little nervous. While they wanted to get out of dodge before this monster of a storm hit, they also were a little skeptical that this was safe. Some took to Twitter to complain and the story went viral.

Inside the cockpit and with all of these people’s lives in his hands was 52 year old Chuck Joyce. A Delta pilot of 20 years and also a graduate of NC State University. His brother in-law, Billy WIlliams is an engineering professor at NC State and had this to say.

“They definitely knew this was going to be tight,” said Mr. Williams, who conferred with Mr. Joyce before calling the Post-Gazette. Mr. Joyce and his family are — understandably — wary of the media spotlight. Mr. Joyce’s daughter communicated with the Post-Gazette via Twitter and direct messages.

“Chuck is married to my sister,” explained Mr. Williams. “He’s a consummate professional and would give all the credit to the team.

“Chuck was certainly talking to the whole team, with the meteorologists in Atlanta. They basically came to the decision it was going to be tight, but it was going to work.”

It did work. Joyce landed the plane in New York City in what ended up being a bumpy, but mostly uneventful flight. The passengers called him a hero, but his family said it was just him doing his job.

“My mom sent me a text and I didn’t have any idea of the significance,” Mr. Joyce’s daughter said. “She sent me the radar picture, and later my brother told me the flight had become a Twitter moment. I was at work and really busy, so it didn’t hit until later. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) ”

“He’s a good man. He doesn’t think of himself as a hero. He just loves to do his job.”