By Michael Doran
Since 2007, hundreds of pilots from aero clubs across the country take to the sky to give sick and underprivileged children the ride of a lifetime.
On Sunday 28 October pilots from Lilydale Flying Club will be airborne and putting smiles on the faces of kids who face a range of challenges on the ground.
FunFlight has taken more than 9,000 children for a flight in a light aircraft and the registered charity’s vision is that ‘every child can fly’.
“The idea is to give the whole family a fun day of flying that takes their minds off their daily challenges,” said David Loccisano of FunFlight. “For a lot of them this will be their first in an aeroplane.”
FunFlight founder, Michael Verheem said that there are few days like this. “It is truly amazing that everyone gives their time and effort freely and we can help bring such happiness to children who really need it,” he said.
“The look on the faces of the children as they board the plane is heart-warming and when they touch down they just can’t stop smiling.”
“The day wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of volunteer pilots, aero clubs, aviation organisations and sponsors. We have big dreams – we would like to double the number of children we reach if we had the capacity,” he said.
Families that would like to be involved need to contact a local participating charity who can help find a nearby FunFlight event. All the details about that process and the day are at www.funflight.org
