Friday, March 28, 2025

Good Afternoon! In this week's Feel Good Flyover, we're celebrating some well-earned animal retirements—from penguins chilling on their own private island to a war dog who's traded missions for endless belly rubs.

Enjoy—and have a great start to the weekend!

Today's sponsor is BrightMeds, offering discounted semaglutides to help you start your weight loss journey.

Pilots Rescue Family After Alaska Crash

After a father and his two young daughters vanished during a Sunday sightseeing flight, dozens of Alaskan volunteer pilots took to the skies to search the Kenai Peninsula.

With no emergency signal, pilots relied on gut instinct, social media posts, and teamwork. On Monday morning, Pilot Terry Godes spotted the crash site with three figures waving from the wing of a partially submerged plane on Tustumena Lake.

The family had survived 12 freezing hours atop that wing, soaked and exposed after their Piper PA-12 went down near a glacier.

In Alaska, where small planes are lifelines and bad weather comes quickly, neighbors are often the first responders. As one local put it, when a plane goes down, “everybody takes to their planes, and they go out and look.”

One-Armed Player Makes Basketball History

Baileigh Sinaman-Daniel, a 22-year-old guard at Lesley University in Massachusetts, made NCAA Division III history as the first woman with one arm to score in a collegiate basketball game.

After Baileigh was cut from her high school team, her love for basketball—inspired by LeBron James—drove her to continue training and eventually reach the collegiate level.

She quickly impressed Coach Martin Rather with her work ethic and became a key player during Lesley's best season in 14 years. Her historic first basket—a deep shot that snapped through the net—was followed weeks later by a second basket on her birthday.

Sweethearts Reunite After 85 Years

Childhood sweethearts Jim Dougal and Betty Davidson from Scotland reunited after 85 years thanks to a 1936 school photo.

The pair lost touch when Jim's family moved away in 1939, but decades later, Jim's son Alistair tracked down classmates from the photo while researching their family history.

Alistair eventually found Betty, now 96, with help from a local Facebook group. She still had a childhood photo of herself with Jim, and the two reconnected by phone before meeting in person.

Their emotional reunion included recreating the old photo and reminiscing about their early days. "She's still got that glint in her eye," Jim said, "and a touch of the fair hair that I remember her by."

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➤ A missing 3-year-old was found safe after a golden retriever alerted its owner to the child wandering up a neighbor’s driveway. Good dog, Zoie! (See Retriever)

➤ Elderly African penguins at Boston’s aquarium have been moved to a special “retirement island” built just for them, complete with personalized care and more space. (See Details)

➤ While vacationing in Barbados, a 4-year-old tossed a note into the sea. It reached St. Lucia days later, leading to a sweet pen-pal exchange. (See Photos)

➤ A tiny bunny wandered into a hospital in Poland and got rescued by staff and locals, who handed it off to a nearby wildlife center. (See Photos)

➤ A young boy celebrating his birthday at the park got an unexpected surprise when strangers joined in singing Happy Birthday, making his day unforgettable. (Watch Video)

➤ After three years apart, retired war dog Frenky has been reunited with his Army handler and now enjoys life as a spoiled civilian pup. (More)

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Meet Charlotte, a traveling pup who found a balloon and started to play an enthusiastic game of "keepy ups," delighting everyone around her.

I had to break up with a girl who kept making fun of me for being colorblind...

It was...

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"Hi there, Ford. You look handsome, and I love your stone and your colored picture. My name is Zaina, and I am from the breathtaking island of St Lucia."

— From a reply to a 4-year-old's message in a bottle.