On a Wing and a Prayer

April 3, 2023 |

When considering who might star in the movie of his life, Doug White (’77) said his second choice would have been Dennis Quaid. On Friday, April 7 that dream will come true.

On Easter Sunday 2009, White and his family chartered a private plane to fly home to Monroe, Louisiana, from a funeral in South Florida. He asked to sit in the cockpit with the pilot because he had been learning to fly a smaller, single-engine aircraft and liked looking out the window and listening on the radio. White’s limited flying experience was put to the test when the pilot died in the air and he had to alert air traffic control to their emergency. They called in a controller with piloting experience to talk him through flying the plane manually, and then several other contacts were made on the ground to gather the best consultants to guide him through landing at Fort Myers airport. The Whites were in the air for about 50 minutes, praying and trusting God to bring them through safely.

Screenwriter Brian Egeston from Stone Mountain, Georgia, reached out to White a few years later and asked to write a screenplay about the incident. White invited Egeston to his home in North Louisiana, and, over the course of three days, they recorded interviews and conversations with the family and members of their community. Having turned down previous offers, the Whites were glad to see a faith-based movie share their story.

White hopes audiences will be encouraged to never give up, even through a trial, because God is in control.

“Faith in the life of a Christian is only increased, made stronger, when we go through trials and are delivered on the other side,” White said. “… When you are facing challenges and seeking God's help and then watch his deliverance, your faith is increased. Without tests and trials, there would be no need for faith.”

“On a Wing and a Prayer” will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on April 7, 2023. The movie will be shown on campus in the Anthony and Wright Administration Building Auditorium on Saturday, April 8 at 3:30 p.m.

Doug White graduated from Harding with a bachelor’s degree in biology and went on to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy from University of Louisiana at Monroe. He was a member of Mohicans social club and also a Bison baseball pitcher. He and his wife, Terri, have two daughters, Maggie and Bailey .