The air was thick with nostalgia Wednesday as 11 veterans and seniors took off in a 1940 open cockpit plane at Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Minn.
The program was part of the work of nonprofit organization Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation, which offers flights to seniors in long-term care facilities by way of three Boeing Stearman biplanes. A few weeks ago, the organization celebrated its 1,000th flight for veterans.
Darryl Fisher, the pilot and founder of AADF, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that one veteran teared up, saying he could not believe he was flying in that type of plane again.
Another veteran, Jesse Lewis, 85, was in between chemotherapy treatments when he dressed in his pilot clothing and went to relive his Navy pilot days.
Anita Pearson, 98, a riveter during World War II, arrived with her grandchildren, sporting a red bandana similar to the war icon Rosie the Riveter. Unlike some of the veterans, Pearson did not fly on planes — she worked on them. But as Fisher landed the plane, she gave a big thumbs up to her family.
Fisher founded the organization after he and his father traveled the country in 2011 offering seniors rides in a newly restored Stearman plane.
Today, more than 30 states have hosted the program, with some offering as many as five or six flights a day on flight days. Ageless Aviation allows nominations for seniors around the country through an online application.
Right now, it prioritizes flights for older WWII and Korean War veterans. Reaching the WWII veterans is especially urgent, as the Veterans Administration estimates 492 die each day, as most are around age 90. Some 855,000 remain today, and by 2036, the VA anticipates none will be left.
AADF’s mission statement is “giving back to those who have given.” And it is a meaningful way to reward those that have served.
Emily Leayman is an intern at the Washington Examiner
