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Confused Pilot Lands Plane at Wrong Airport

The Boeing 747 Dreamlifter is the modified plane that can haul more cargo than any plane in the world. It weighs about 600,000 pounds and usually requires a runway of 9,200 feet. But in November 2013, a wayward Dreamlifter missed its intended destination of McConnell Air Force Base near Wichita, Kansas. Instead, the jumbo cargo plane landed nine miles north at the wrong airport—the city owned Jabara Airport. Jabara has no control tower and a 6,100-foot runway.

A spokesperson at McConnell Air Force Base—the right airport—said, "The tower was in contact with the pilot … [but] the guy had no clue where he was landing." The pilot told the McConnell radio tower, "Apparently, uh, we, uh, have landed at Beech Factory Airport" (a third airport located between McConnell and Jabara).

Eventually it got sorted out. The aimless pilot finally figured out which wrong airport he had landed his plane. A replacement crew came and, after removing most of the cargo, they were able to take off on the shorter runway and get the plane to McConnell, the right airport.

Possible Preaching Angles: Spiritual Growth; Direction; Goals—This story provides a good way to ask questions like, "Do you know where or where you're headed in your spiritual life? Where do you want to land?" Or "Do you know where you are in your career or with your family life?" Or "Do we know where we're headed as a church?"

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