Photo courtesy of No Plane No Gain
Four recent cancer survivors took to the skies this month as they learned the basics of piloting an aircraft, courtesy of the 4th Annual Big Sky Kids Cancer Survivor Flight Camp! Check out the article, below, for more details about the thrilling day!
Launched in 2014, the camp is co-sponsored by NBAA member Summit Aviation, a full-service aircraft management, brokerage and general aviation flight training provider located in Belgrade, MT; and Eagle Mount, a Bozeman, MT-based nonprofit that provides people with disabilities and young people with cancer with therapeutic recreational opportunities.
During the week, camp participants, all of whom have successfully completed hard-fought battles with cancer and now are in remission, attended ground school and hands-on flight training with volunteers from Summit Aviation’s staff of FAA-licensed certified flight instructors. On the final day, each student performed an unassisted takeoff and landing.
“This flight camp puts the cancer survivor in a position that they have rarely ever been – in control,” said Ben Walton, president and founder of Summit Aviation. “They decide if the airplane is safe for flight, when to take it airborne, where to fly, and how to land. The decision-making ability that was taken from them at a young age with the single word ‘cancer’ is given back to them.”
This article was originally posted on NoPlaneNoGain.org
