CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It took 20 years for pilot Phil Bradshaw to come back to the cockpit after losing his wife, Sandy Bradshaw, in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Sandy was a flight attendant on United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in a remote area of Pennsylvania after passengers and crew fought to take back control of the plane from hijackers.
Phil finally returned to the skies in 2022 as the pilot of a Boeing 777 out of Charlotte. He told WFMY News 2's Nixon Norman that flying "is like riding a bike; I mean, you can take time off and still come back and do it again."
This week marked Bradshaw's retirement as a pilot. His final flight took him from Charlotte to Munich, where he spent the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to the Queen City and hanging up his captain's hat for good.
When he landed back in Charlotte, his Triple Seven was showered with water by two firetrucks, marking an end to his career.
These photos, provided by Heather Ward, show Bradshaw after making his final flight.
Phil Bradshaw retirement flight
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