Most passengers take a nap or watch a movie during a flight. Recently, a passenger named Josh discovered a more thoughtful way to spend his time when he transformed his tray table into a makeshift art studio.
Josh unfolded sheets of paper, trimmed the small edges, and used glue to begin constructing tiny airplanes without a kit. By the time the plane landed, he’d created an intricate paper model.
The finished product was surprisingly detailed, complete with wings, tail fins, windows, and the Delta logo carefully displayed. As cool as it was, it’s what happened next that caught our attention.
Rather than keeping the treasures for himself, Josh approached the pilot after the plane landed with a gift in his hand.
A special gift
First, Josh asked the pilot if he happened to have a trading card. The pilot gladly handed one over. Then he offered a small paper bag and explained that inside was a model airplane he had made during the flight.
The pilot’s face lit up as he examined the miniature jet, turning it approvingly in his hands. He asked if Josh used a kit, and he replied that there’s an online community of paper-model enthusiasts who design and share downloadable templates.
Delighted, the pilot called a fellow crew member named Andy to take a look. Andy stepped out of the cockpit and was equally surprised when Josh gifted him a model of his own. That one, he explained, had been made at home since there wasn’t enough time to complete two during the flight.
Josh said that each model takes about eight hours to build, and he’d done some of the prep work for the first one at home to ensure he could finish it during the flight. Touched by the gesture, Andy ran back to the cockpit to get a few more trading cards as a thank you.
The internet is obsessed
The model was intricate and detailed
(Alena Ivochkina via Getty Images)
The clip was reposted on Reddit, and it has received over 18,000 upvotes so far. Viewers of the original Instagram video praised Josh’s generosity.
“They are going to cherish those forever. This is so cool.”
“This is actually so wholesome.”
“This made my day.”
Later, Josh uploaded a video of gifting a box of similar planes to his flight attendants.
The videos struck a chord as people responded to a quiet act of generosity, serving as a reminder that even in the most structured environments, kindness can still be constructed, like a paper plane.