Children make their way from a Huey helicopter after experiencing their first fligh during the 2022 Children's Flight, an annual aviation community supported project at the Orient Airfield in Mogale City, 2 September 2022. The project puts under privileged children in the sky and treats them to their first experiece of flight. Picture: Michel Bega
‘It felt like we were going to crash!” exclaimed 10-year-old Kyiano Marman. “But I wish I could go again!” he added, describing his first flight experience in a Huey helicopter.
Marman was one of 500 children who were treated to the Children’s Flight event in Magaliesburg yesterday, a project that gives underprivileged children the opportunity to experience flight for the first time.
The event was the brainchild of founder Captain Felix Gosher. “I wanted to give the children a Willy Wonka experience, like the chocolate factory where children get a chance to experience something special for the first time.
But instead of chocolate, it’s with aviation.
“We want to create this fantasy day where children have an opportunity to see the world from a different perspective, one that they are not accustomed to seeing, and give them an opportunity that’s possibly once in a lifetime.”
The 500 children are selected from various areas, with a focus on the needy from children’s homes and orphanages. “We look for a variety of children. Some will be fighting cancer, some will have cerebral palsy, some will be in wheelchairs, some might come from abusive or neglected homes, and so on,” Gosher explained.
“Children are the future of the nation and if you treat them well, there’s a good chance they will make a positive contribution later in their lives. And that’s how you make a step towards building a better nation,” he said.
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The annual event, which started in 2016, is fully sponsored, with about 80 planes, helicopters and gliders involved. The children are also treated to a variety of entertainment, including dancing, face painting, jumping castles and food.
“It’s a great way for the aviation industry and sponsors to give back and make a child’s dream come true,” pilot Charles Fuller said.
– news@citizen.co.za
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