The play is about being "grounded," and the title is revealed in the deeper understanding of what it means to truly be grounded. The Pilot has earned her way to becoming a fighter pilot. What she has had to overcome and sacrifice to get to this point to where her Air Force flight suit are not spoken of, but they are rooted in who she is. Thus, when she is pregnant and grounded, we know that having this child means leaving the life and career and dream she has paid greatly for, like she sacrifices for her country she now sacrifices for her child.
However, this dream to be in the blue skies still pounds within every beat of her heart, and her husband knows it as well. She cannot be grounded any longer, she must fly so, she returns to her commanding officer only to discover that she is assigned to flying drones. Her dream is shattered, what must she be thinking? What are the costs she is counting? She's given up her life for another life, her daughter's. Will she ever be happy again? Yes, she will. She learns that killing with a drone is the same as killing in the cockpit. It's real, she's back.
Most profoundly, Brant explores the effect of coming home each day after being in war. It has a significant drain upon The Pilot and her ability to transition from battlefield home becomes increasingly difficult. Brant is exploring the effect of modern warfare upon the family. Is the military allowing the psychological, emotional and physical effects of war to seep so easily into our every day lives? It is a major question that must be explored.
Finally, The Pilot refuses to kill a target and his child. She has changed now that she has a daughter of her own, would she have killed the target without hesitation before? It's more likely, but who's to say. She is court martialed, imprisoned for choosing to say no to killing an innocent life. She is put in jail while those who kill the innocent roam free. Unlike the screen in her air conditioned trailer where she mans the drone, life is not grey, it is vivid with color and Brant awakens our eyes to see war and people this way.
