I got a message through my girlfriend from a friend at her church in Fort Myers asking if I had experience recording audio in a helicopter.

As it turns out, I do.

The proposal was for Janelle and Alejandro. She’s the daughter of the pastor at their church, and they wanted to pull off something memorable. My background in aviation and photography made me an easy call. I told them I was in, as long as I got a seat on the helicopter.

Then the reschedules started.
Fort Myers cancelled.
Miami cancelled.
Another Fort Myers attempt cancelled and moved.

They finally locked in a helicopter out of Sarasota. By that point I had already driven from Venice to Fort Myers, then turned around and driven north past home to Sarasota. A lot of windshield time for one question.

But for Alejandro, this wasn’t about logistics. He wanted to give Janelle a moment that felt intentional. Proposals are already nerve-wracking. You’re carrying a secret. You’re hoping the timing feels right. You’re hoping your words come out the way you practiced them in your head. Now add rotor noise and a tight cabin. Oh, and it’s also 7PM in the winter, so it’s pitch black. Thank goodness for a full moon!

Once we lifted off, Janelle was just enjoying the ride. Looking out at the coastline, looking at UTC Mall and the Ringling museum. Taking it all in. Alejandro was quiet in that focused way people get when they’re about to do something that matters. I could see some of those anxious jitters kicking in.

There isn’t much room for error in a helicopter. It’s loud. It’s cramped. You don’t get to pause and reset. My job was simple: handle the technical side so he didn’t have to think about it.

At some point he turned toward her. You could see it on her face when she realized what was happening. The shift from confusion to understanding to emotion. That moment where everything slows down even though the blades are still spinning above you.

He asked. She said yes.
All the cancellations, the miles, the waiting — none of it mattered after that.

I’ve spent a lot of my life in aviation where the pressure is constant and the margin for error is thin. Being back in the air for something like this felt different. This wasn’t about hours or performance. It was about two people taking a step forward.

I love getting to witness that.