I am honored to be able to fly for Above the Clouds for Kids a charity that brings joy and hope to underprivileged and sick kids through the wonder of flight. It is wonderful to share my passion for aviation with others, but also to help change kids’ horizons. I like to think that the different perspective gained from the air, and the thrill from actually getting to fly an airplane can have a lasting effect for the kids that we get to fly.
My description pales in comparison from that of Nick Coleman, one of our Dream Flyers who wrote a poem about his experience that was published in Flying magazine.
In the air, I am free. In the air, there is much more to see.
On the ground, I am bound. As I look up, people look down.
“Dream Flight”. Is it the dream of flight, or the flight of a dream?
From where I sat, the sky appeared gray and foreboding.
Perhaps my freedom should be postponed for another day?
The sky, like life, is not always what is seems;
We pushed on through the clouds and greeted the sun’s shining beams.
Mind racing, hands trembling, I traded wheels for wings.
Bumping, jerking, vibrating disappeared with the gentle pressure of overcoming Earth’s gravity.
The racing of the engine echoed the racing of my heart, both straining to escape their confines.
The barriers, the challenges, the ridicule, the pain melted away as the journey began.
All the stairs, all the difficulty, it would disappear.
The controls in hand, I became the master of my movements, the ruler of my rambling. Apprehension turned to delight, and then to serenity as we sliced through clouds and pierced sunbeams.
In the air, I can see the world
On the ground, I can only see my town.
In the air, I can go anywhere.
On the ground, I can’t go there.
In the air, there’s not a care.
On the ground, there’s no one around.
In the air, I am free.
Steward Air Charter 