Aviator Prayer

The Aviator Prayer

A collection of swag to remind yourself and your aviator to fly safe that you or they are in someone's prayers.

"Lord, guard and guide the men who fly Through the great spaces of the sky; Be with them traversing the air In dark'ning storms or sunshine fair, Thou who dost keep with tender might The balanced birds in all their flight, Thou of the tempered winds, be near, That, having thee, they know no fear. Control their minds with instinct fit What time, adventuring, they quit The firm security of land; Grant steadfast eye and skilful hand. Aloft in solitudes of space, Uphold them with Thy saving grace. O God, protect the men who fly Through lonely ways beneath the sky."

This prayer dates back to 1915, written by Scottish poet Mary C.D. Hamilton as "A Hymn for Aviators" during the earliest days of military flight. Part of it was later adapted into the Navy Hymn to honor naval aviators, and the full version became the official U.S. Air Force Hymn in 1947 — the same year the Air Force became its own branch. Over a century later, it's still carried by the people who fly.