Paris, France – Reaching For Heaven: An Observant Jew Navigates the Skies

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     David Price, 47, who has the distinction of being the only Chabad commercial pilot in the world.Paris, France – In the cockpit of an Air France Airbus 330, about an hour after takeoff, on a flight from Paris to Senegal, with the plane safely on auto-pilot, the pilot finishes studying the two daily portions of Chumash and Tanya. He then keys his mike: “Good morning! This is your Captain speaking. I hope you are enjoying your flight . . .”

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    Meet David Price, 47, who has the distinction of being the only Chabad commercial pilot in the world.

    A native of Paris, Price’s initiation into the world of aviation began when he was just a child. Late one night, his father woke the six-year-old David to watch the first manned lunar landing. For years, the boy dreamed of becoming an astronaut.

    Price’s initiation into the world of traditional Judaism happened later. He was eleven years old the first time he set foot in a synagogue. The year was 1974, and the Yom Kippur War was raging in the Middle East. The chilling news reports inspired Jews around the world, like Price’s mother, to show their solidarity with the Jewish people in Israel. Soon enough, the boy’s mother (his parents had divorced some years prior) began taking on an observant lifestyle, and decided to give her son a Jewish education, which she did, with the help of Chabad of Paris.

    Price visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe twice as a young boy, first with his mother, and later as part of a group of teenagers traveling to the Rebbe. The visits were both memorable experiences, and made deep impressions on the young Price.

    After graduating high school, David enrolled in flight school in Toulouse. Five years later he became a co-pilot, and ten years later – with two thousand hours of flying time under his belt – he earned his pilot’s wings.

    For the last ten years Price has been a transatlantic commercial pilot, flying long routes, which give him, in his own words, “plenty of time to marvel at Hashem’s creation.”

    A father of three, Price often takes his wife and daughters on trips to the U.S., and his family enjoys seeing him seated at the controls.

    It’s not always easy to be an observant pilot, says Price, who admits he must constantly struggle for his religious rights. French law gives pilots many days off and Price uses to them all for Shabbos and Jewish holidays. Even so, he is always careful to check and make sure his isn’t mistakenly assigned a flight that runs into Shabbos. He also takes care to avoid flight assignments that are scheduled for take-off before ten o’clock in the morning, freeing him up to conduct his morning prayers on the ground.

    His is not a practical, or ideal choice of a career for an observant Jew, he concedes. But spending much of his time in the skies, he has plenty of opportunity to ponder matters spiritual and existential.

    Interviewed during the worst travel disruptions when the volcanic ash cloud recently paralyzed European air travel, the Chasidic pilot says the situation served as a useful reminder to him:

    “An eruption of this magnitude has not occurred for many tens of years,” he said.“I have no doubt that this is a sign from Heaven, to teach us not to take the fact that the skies are open to us for granted.”

    “Besides, an amazing thing happened as a result of the volcano,” the Shabbos-observant pilot says, unable to resist the thought. “Thousands of Jews did not fly on Shabbos . . .”


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    44 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Wow-beautiful…a real kiddush Hashem!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    He must have nerves of steel. The average person would not be able to deal with the stress of arranging flight schedules according to the Jewish religious calendar and ending up in strange airports without anything to eat (should he get diverted or delayed). Flying is hard enough WHEN NOTHING GOES WRONG. But any seasoned traveler will tell you, anything can (and does) happen, except of course to people from Boro Park.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    what a Kiddush Hashem – what does he do with Shabbat?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Whats wrong with flying in the morning?? He can daven before takeoff or after the flight is airborne.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    I remember for sure another Jewish guy, can’t remember his name or which airline hew flew, but he was definitely a shomer shabbos. Kudos to Mr. Price

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    He is not the only frum commercial Pilot.

    I just gotta know...
    I just gotta know...
    13 years ago

    Photo caption claims that he “has the distinction of being the only CHABAD commercial pilot in the world” – are there b’chlal any other FRUM commercial pilots anywhere in the world?

    I would love to know if any of them do their Daf Yomi on trans-atlantic flights!

    This pilot does his Chumash and Tanya while flying – I was wondering if he also does his Rambam?

    twersky
    twersky
    13 years ago

    20 years ago i met 2 frum y.u girls who were stewerdeses on american airlines!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Reb Dovid, Don’t forget a Tzedaka Pushka and Chitas in the cockpit. Hatzlach Raabah!!

    Dovid
    Dovid
    13 years ago

    The pilot who flies the US Airways route from Philadelphia to Israel is also a frum guy.

    Milhouse
    Milhouse
    13 years ago

    I don’t know what qualifies someone as “Chabad”. Do they have to wear a kapote on Shabbos/Yomtov? Go in water and learn chassidus every morning? Or just show up at a Chabad House once in a while? In any case, there’s a frum commercial pilot in Australia who’s connected to Chabad.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    I know of a frum steward working for Delta.

    Elal must have frum workers, pilots, stewards etc..

    Shlomo
    Shlomo
    13 years ago

    There is also a Chabad Qantas pilot I believe……

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Kol Hakavod lo! Very big Kiddush Hashem & not an easy task. 🙂
    Ps Keep posting more positive news like this VIN.

    knowitall
    knowitall
    13 years ago

    The Yom Kippur war was not “raging in 1974”. The war was in 1973. Wonder how inaccurate the rest of the post is.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    does he say tefillas haderech for each flight?

    Aaron
    Aaron
    13 years ago

    When Air Canada inaugurated their Tel-Aviv Montreal route they were looking for Hebrew speaking flight attendants. My friend Howard who is frum was hired by them and became the 1st Canadian anglophone/tri-lingual on the route.
    Howard then went on to pursue a successful career in law as well as federal politics.
    I know many frum private pilots in general aviation.

    For those who know any Jewish pilots out there, refer them to the website: http://www.jewsinaviation.org and encourage them to join!!!

    Aaron
    retired GA pilot