Yesterday (11/13/2002), my wife Cindy and I boarded a Boeing 757 (full of people - about 280) at Raleigh, NC about 4 pm and weather had been bad (rain and wind all day with huge thunderheads). I had asked Blessed Mother to spread Her Mantle of Protection over the plane and started saying a Rosary before boarding and asked Her to protect everyone on board. I felt at the time that Cindy and I were the only ones praying on that flight as we boarded - most everyone started sleeping since we were delayed 40 minutes due to bad weather in Atlanta and Raleigh - part of the storm system that generated 70 tornados.

On take-off, the nose wheel had started to lift off and I would estimate the plane was going at least 140 knots when the pilot slammed on brakes and reversed thrusters(and since the runway was wet and it was raining the huge plane started skidding but somehow the pilot held it on the runway). The plane shuddered several times and finally stopped about 100 feet to 150 feet from the crash barrier at the end of the runway. If it had been two seconds later we would have crashed into the barrier and if he had taken off two seconds sooner we would have lifted-off and been hit by a wind shear (which is a violent downdraft in which the plane loses all lift and gets behind power curve and will crash). I felt a violent wind hit the plane at end of the runway as we came to a stop (alot of rain and could not see anything).

The pilot came on and it a calm voice said: "A new high-tech device had given a warning of a Wind Shear over the runway and he thought the device was of great benefit. He said the plane was fine and had no mechanical problems but we would have to wait until the brakes were checked." All other take-offs were cancelled and we were directed to a new runway.

I thanked Blessed Mother for interceding on the Two-Second Rosary. Later we took off again with no problems and and the sun started shining at 22,000 feet and I imagined it to be like a pink and blue mantle around the plane.