Kid patients get chance to fly plane

[aesop_image imgwidth=”300px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Flight-1-for-COMMUNITY.jpg” credit=”Photos courtesy Miller Children’s ” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”A Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach patient learns flight and safety rules before flying the plane as a co-pilot.” captionposition=”right”] Patients from the pediatric rehabilitation program at Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach recently got the chance to climb in and fly airplanes over the Long Beach Marina and other sites around the area through donations by the Spirit of Suzi Discovery Pro- gram, which uses activities like flying to promote physical, cognitive, social and emotional abilities of children with special needs in order to provide “unique memories” for those involved.
Individually, patients were allowed to bring their families aboard a plane and learn basic safety rules, also getting to sit beside pilots in the cockpit and serve as co-pilots.
“This is going to be the first time I fly, though my kids have had the privilege of doing so the last two years,” said Dominique Quevedo, who has two sons at Miller Children’s. “I’m a little nervous, but I love seeing the confidence in my boys. The fact that this program lets them know they can do anything they want makes me so happy and pushes them even further.”
Keith Furlong, manager of the Pacific Jet Center, a fixed-base operation private aircraft service and storage, has provided planes and licensed pilots for the event and the programs since its inception.
The bi-annual event also gives patients something to continuously look forward to. “It is the absolute pinnacle of their summer,” Quevedo said. “They would not have the opportunity to do this otherwise. For them to not only be able to be in a plane, but fly it, is amazing.”
[aesop_image imgwidth=”250px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Flight-2-for-COMMUNITY.jpg” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”A patient’s family of Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach begin to board the airplane Cheyenne.” captionposition=”left”]