By JIM LEGGETT
An intrepid group from a senior living home recently flocked to Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport (KEQY) in North Carolina for flights in a 1938 open-cockpit Boeing Stearman, courtesy of the non-profit Dream Flights.
Among the delighted group was 99-year-old Marjorie Cooper.
“My daughter will never let me fly — but she is on vacation so what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Marjorie said with a laugh.
Her late husband, George Cooper, served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years as a glider pilot.
She was assisted into the forward cockpit, then shoulder harness and seat belt secured, and a helmet strap fastened before the microphone and headset check.
As she put her goggles down, she gave a cheery thumbs up wave to onlookers as Dream Flights pilot Darryl Smith yelled “contact!”
With a blast of blue exhaust, the big Lycoming 9-cylinder engine roared to life. Chocks away, the old Stearman zigzagged its way to the runway. Full throttle was applied and the old Stearman — and Marjorie — were up, up, and away.
Slipstream singing in the guy wires, Darryl made a 360° birds-eye pass over the grounds of her senior living center. The 15-minute flight over the area’s farm-dotted countryside ended with a smooth landing.
“I always look at the birds and wonder where they are flying to,” Marjorie said after her flight. “When I was in the plane, I got to be a bird for a few minutes. Now I know why my husband was up in the air all of those years!”
Marjorie was gung-ho for the flight as soon as Christopher Locke, who coordinated the senior living community flights with Dream Flights, told her about them.
“When I first mentioned that we would have this incredible opportunity to fly in an open cockpit World War II plane, she laughed and said ‘count me in!’” he recalled.
Next to fly was 86-year-old Ed Small, a US Navy and Bay of Pigs veteran who had never been in an airplane before.
He got quite a kick flying aboard a 1938 barnstormer that was one year older than himself.
While a bit scared climbing into the cockpit, following his ride he said he had “such fun.”
“I do wish we had done a barrel roll!” laughed Ed.
The mission of Dream Flights to give back to those who gave. Since its founding in 2011, the organization has given more than 7,000 dream flights in more than 1,000 cities, and 49 states. But the non-profit organization’s favorite statistic is this: “Endless joy and smiles.”
The association is dedicated to honoring military veterans and seniors with the adventure of a lifetime: Free flights in a Boeing Stearman biplane.
According to officials with Dream Flights, the flights inspire the passengers to share their stories.
“We collect, preserve, and share those stories of how they survived through times of great strife to remind us of our shared humanity, our connection to each other, and the value of listening,” officials said. “Our Dream Flights close the generation gap and open us up to a clearer understanding of ourselves and our world.”
For the stop in Monroe, husband and wife team Darryl and Melanie Smith were the crew.
Darryl, a retired U.S. Air Force F-16 and U-2 pilot, now flies for American Airlines. Melanie was an Air Force maintenance and protocol officer.
“As veterans ourselves, we truly enjoy flying veterans,” Smith explains. “We share a common bond with all veterans, whether they served in World War II, present day, or any time in between. To share the Dream Flights experience is so uplifting to us by living what our motto and mission entails. It was so enlightening to realize that our flight together gave Marjorie such insight into the joys of flying, especially when she commented ‘Now I know how my husband felt when he was a pilot!’”
The seniors are also uplifted by the flight.
“It truly brought a once in a lifetime experience to our community,” Locke said. “We are lucky and thankful that people and experiences exist like Dream Flights for our seniors.”
He added that Marjorie Cooper has been at the senior living center for close to a year.
“She is a bright light in our community,” he says. “She also serves as our community ambassador who loves to watch birds outside of her window and on the front porch. This was a day that truly touched our hearts and community!”
For more information: DreamFlights.org
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