More than 20 蜜柚直播 seniors 鈥 most of them veterans 鈥 will take to the skies this weekend through a 鈥渄ream flight鈥 program.
The Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation, a nonprofit based out of Carson City Nevada, takes seniors living in long-term care facilities from around the country for a ride in a 1940s Boeing Stearman.
Here, flights take off today at Ryan Airfield, 9698 W. Ajo Highway, and Sunday at Marana Regional Airport, 11700 W. Avra Valley Road.
Darryl Fisher, president, founder and a pilot for the foundation, describes the open-cockpit flight as 鈥渕agic.鈥
鈥淭hey go in and they come out different,鈥 says Fisher, who has given more than 200 dream flights. 鈥 I don鈥檛 know how else to explain it. Something happens. I had a ground crew describe it as they go in and come out 30 years younger.鈥
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Four World War II veterans living at the retirement community Desert Springs, 30 W. Lambert Lane, will be among those spreading their wings Sunday.
Curtis Layton, Bob Leach and Earl Scott are in their 90s. Joe Lambert is 100.
Joni Chandler, the activities coordinator for the retirement community, nominated them.
Earlier this week, the four men sat down to share stories 鈥 many of them familiar 鈥 as they often do at mealtimes.
鈥淭he maharajah was a nice gentleman; he spoke the best English,鈥 says Lambert, who flew between India, Burma and China in a C-46 transport aircraft as a flight officer in the U.S. Army Air Force. Lambert, who served for three years, tells the story of a chance encounter in the Himalayas that garnered an invite to the maharajah鈥檚 summer palace.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e a celebrity!鈥 says Leach, joking.
As a master sergeant in the same branch, Leach was based on the Mediterranean island Corsica.
鈥淲e did three-and-a-half hour missions,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e would drop off bombs and run like hell for home,鈥 During the war, Leach served as a radio operator, gunner and toggleer, dropping bombs from B-25 Mitchell bombers. He served about 20 years.
Layton, a commander and Navy pilot, was stationed in the South Pacific. He remembers living in the jungles.
鈥淲e did air and sea rescue missions and were also doing bombing,鈥 says Layton. 鈥淲e flew the sea planes, PBYs.鈥
Scott, a tactical reconnaissance pilot for the Army Air Force, flew a P-51 Mustang beyond the front lines in search of information.
鈥淲e flew low and slow and he flew high and fast,鈥 jokes Layton, who continued to serve in the reserves until the 1970s.
Scott, a first lieutenant, flew in the air offensive in Europe over hotspots such as Normandy and Rhineland.
鈥淚 had to go past the front lines to gather what鈥檚 going to happen tomorrow,鈥 said Scott, who served three years.
He did most missions alone, doing the jobs of navigator, radio operator, gunner and photographer.
And though the Sunday flight has sparked some laughs and memories, it was war, Scott reminds the group.
鈥淚 was exposed to so much gunfire, I can鈥檛 explain why I never got touched,鈥 he says. 鈥淛ust lucky.鈥