By Ofelia Saenz, Staff Writer
As 13 young patients from Miller Children’s Pediatric Rehabilitation Department each awaited his and her turn to fly one of the small aircrafts behind the California Flight Center (CFC) last Thursday, the question that continually bounced around the flight hangar was, “Are you nervous?”
The overwhelming response was, “No.”
“They’re pretty fearless,” smiled Keith Furlong, owner of CFC. “It’s the parents that you have to worry about.”
The children ranged in age from 8 to 16. Twice a year, CFC, Miller Children’s and the Spirit of Suzi Foundation provide an opportunity for young people with special needs to take a 45-minute plane ride from the Long Beach Airport to Palos Verdes, the Queen Mary and back.
Not just passengers, each of the kids was allowed to take the controls of the four-seat Cessna 172. At the end of the trip, each child was presented with a flight certificate and lapel wings.
The program is the result of the Spirit of Suzi Foundation, which was formed in 2000 by the family of 18-year-old Suzi Hesseltine, who died from a traumatic brain injury in a non-flying related accident.
The teenager was an avid flyer and had already earned her pilot’s license. Before her death, she worked as a dispatcher at Pinnacle Aviation Academy in Carlsbad and planned to move on to her instrument and commercial ratings to become a professional pilot.
“Suzi wanted her life to be one of flying, and she was well on her way,” said Hesseltine’s uncle George Jones who founded the non-profit organization. “My family’s belief is that the only way to react to something so tragic is by making something good come of it…so we decided to marry the passion of [Suzi’s] life, which was flying, to the mechanism of her death, traumatic brain injury.”
Spirit of Suzi gives the gift of flight to young patients recovering from brain injuries, as well as those who suffer conditions such as spina bifida and neuromuscular disorders.
“The kids love it,” said Furlong, who himself suffered a severe head injury when he was struck by a propeller in February 2006. “They’re really brave–willing to do anything. Compared to what they’ve already experienced, I don’t think they could be scared of much anymore.”
