Why is Matt Cruse so attached to the Aurora?

Matt Cruse is a cabin boy aboard the Aurora, who thinks of the ship and her crew as his family. His love for the ship and the time he spends in the air is comparable to nothing else. Part of that is because his father lost his life while working on the very same ship, and something about being aboard her makes Matt feel as though he hasn't lost his father at all. In fact, when he is in the air on Aurora, he often has vivid dreams of his father in which they fly together unaided by ship or propulsion of any kind. As he never dreams of his father while on land, being on land becomes more and more difficult for him.