Summit Estates Senior Living residents selected for Dream Flights

Holly Wilson thinks it’s time to face her fear of flying. So, at 88 years-old, she’s climbing into a vintage, open-cockpit Stearman biplane and taking to Reno’s skies for a flight of a lifetime, courtesy of Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation (AADF). Flying in the Stearman, said Wilson, would be “a great way to enjoy going in a plane and having a good experience,” so when it’s time to travel she won’t be so nervous.

Wilson is one of eight Summit Estates Senior Living residents who will take a Dream Flight in a 1943 Boeing Stearman biplane on Thursday, May 24, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., at Atlantic Aviation, located at 655 S. Rock Blvd., Reno, Nev. Joining Wilson are World War II veterans Army Air Corps Buck Sergeant Ray Palleson, 94, and Army Private First Class Lewis Foster, 95, and aviation enthusiasts Barbara Blankenburg, 75, Audrey Brady, 89, Don Harvey, 64, Ron Dohoney, 78, and Ed Chalupa, 90.

The opportunity was coordinated with AADF by Summit Estates as part of its “Ageless Dreams” program, which identifies residents’ dreams or wishes and makes them come true. This is the third year Summit Estates residents were honored with Dream Flights.

Since 2011, AADF has provided more than 3,000 dream flights in 41 states. The volunteer AADF crew travels the country year-round giving veterans the opportunity of a lifetime. "Our mission is to give back to those who've given," said Darryl Fisher, founder and president of Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation. "Something special happens when they strap on that helmet, hear the raspy engine, and then feel the wind on their faces. By the time they land, they feel 20 years younger."

The entire Summit Estates community and residents’ family members are invited to watch as the residents strap on leather helmets and take to the skies at 1,000 feet for a 20-minute flight. American Legion Post 56 Color Guard will present the Colors. Encore Entertainment will sing patriotic music and Teri Gooch, life enrichment director at Summit Estates, will perform the National Anthem.

For more information on Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation, visit www.agelessaviationdreams.org.