Marie <<email>> writes:

http://khastv.com/modules/news/index.php?storytopic=4&start=10

I thought everyone might like to see and read an example of how lucky we are as a community of pilots. Last weekend Len Smith, Mike Russell and I went out to fly with a fellow pilot in south central Nebraska!

As you can read word got out and what transpired was a beautiful thing. We as a flying community are very lucky indeed!! I've copied a letter from the pilots’ sister that explains what occurred and a link to the news story that developed out of love for each other and our fellow pilots.

Enjoy! We are truly blessed as a flying band of brothers and sisters!

It's Sunday evening and I am looking back on my weekend and can't help but feel so good about what happened. Some very kind people made a dream of Vern's happen and never once asked for anything in return. Vern felt very satisfied in his flight and if you weren't there I wish you could have heard the cheers as he took off! There must have been 50 people watching it happen. All any of us wanted was to see a smile on his face and that we did.

There was a very nice news piece on the event on channel 5 and it was very tastefully done. John (Vern's brother) spent many hours helping make the arrangements for this and should be commended on making it a success. You know as family, sometimes you have to do the hard things, make the decisions that others don't understand, any of you who are parents know this. But when something like this can be arranged and put together for such a good person the feeling is wonderful.

No one knows what lies ahead for Vern, but one thing I know is that what I saw yesterday happen with family and friends was great! Sorry Thomas and Emily couldn't get their flight in, but you never know, Len, Jim and Mike may be back to give Vern another ride and then they will be next.

In the flight I took I now understand just a little of what continued to draw Vern back to the skies for the past 26 years!

Thanks to Len Smith, Jim Gaar and Mike Russell, you made this day just wonderful. Thanks to so many family members for taking a nice day ands pending out in the middle of the country getting dusty and dirty, dirt never felt so good! Thanks to the hospice team and all the staff from the home that took their time away from personal things and spent it making Vern's dream happen. The hospice team said more than once that they had no idea Vern had such wonderful family, we try. OK, enough babbling but again, it was a wonderful day.