News>'Pilot for a Day:' Just what the doctor ordered
Story at a Glance
• Two children with life-threatening illnesses became pilots for a day. • The event included an F-15 simulator flight and aircraft, fighter squadron, birds of prey and air traffic controls tours. • "Pilot for a Day" was started at RAFL in March 2012.
Photos
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England - Tech. Sgt. Patrick Ledbetter, 56th Rescue Squadron flight engineer and native of Wichita Falls, Texas, shows Jake Snowling, a 15-year-old Redgrave resident, a GAU-2C mini-gun on an HH-60G Pave Hawk during a "Pilot for a Day" event Jan. 8, 2013. During the event two local children received special-made flight suits, a flight in an F-15 simulator, an interactive squadron tour and an up-close viewing of an F-15C Eagle and HH-60G Pavehawk. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch)
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England - Capt. Jeff Lehmkuhl, 56th Rescue Squadron chief of current operations and native of San Bernardino, Calif., gives a unit patch to Dawson Davidson, an 11-year-old Mildenhall resident, during a "Pilot for a Day" event Jan. 8, 2013. The "Pilot for a Day" program was started at RAF Lakenheath in March 2012 by Maj. Jason Bianchi, 493rd Fighter Squadron pilot, with the intent to assist children throughout local communities who are fighting life-threatening illnesses or conditions by providing a day of fun and allowing for a break from the routine doctor and hospital visits. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch)
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England - Capt. Jeff Lehmkuhl, 56th Rescue Squadron chief of current operations and native of San Bernardino, Calif., shows Dawson Davidson, an 11-year-old Mildenhall resident, around the cockpit of an HH-60G Pave Hawk during a "Pilot for a Day" event Jan. 8, 2013. The "Pilot for a Day" program was started at RAF Lakenheath in March 2012 by Maj. Jason Bianchi, 493rd Fighter Squadron pilot, with the intent to assist children throughout local communities who are fighting life-threatening illnesses or conditions by providing a day of fun and allowing for a break from the routine doctor and hospital visits. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch)
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England - Jake Snowling, a 15-year-old Redgrave resident, holds a Harris Hawk during a birds of prey demonstration Jan. 8, 2013. The demonstration was part of a "pilot for a Day" event, which allows children who are suffering from life-threatening illnesses to come to RAF Lakenheath and experience what it is like to be a pilot. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch)
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England - A display at the 493rd Fighter Squadron operations desks welcomes Jake Snowling, a 15-year-old Redgrave resident, and Dawson Davidson, an 11-year-old Mildenhall resident, and their familes to a "Pilot for a Day" event Jan. 8, 2013. During the event Jake and Dawson received special-made flight suits, a flight in an F-15 simulator, an interactive squadron tour and an up-close viewing of an F-15C Eagle and HH-60G Pavehawk. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch)
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England - Dawson Davidson, an 11-year-old Mildenhall resident, pets Twinkle, a 25-year-old eagle owl, with the help of Keith Mutton, Phoenix Bird Control falconer, during a "Pilot for a Day" event Jan. 8, 2013. During the event two local children received special-made flight suits, a flight in an F-15 simulator, an interactive squadron tour and an up-close viewing of an F-15C Eagle and HH-60G Pavehawk. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch)
by Staff Sgt. Stephen Linch
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
1/11/2013 - ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- Shooting down enemy aircraft, hanging with an eagle owl named Twinkle and being awarded pilot's wings was all in a day's work for two boys who participated in the "Pilot for a Day" program here Jan. 9, 2012.
Jake Snowling, a 15-year-old Redgrave resident, and Dawson Davidson, an 11-year-old from Mildenhall, each suffering from life-threatening illnesses, took a break from hospital visits to come to RAF Lakenheath to take part in the 493rd Fighter Squadron sponsored program.
"I know these kids have been through a lot," said Capt. Jeff Lehmkuhl, 56th Rescue Squadron chief of current operations and native of San Bernardino, Calif. "So today, we are going to do anything we can to comfort them, pull them out of that environment, show them something different and put a smile on their faces."
Throughout the event, Jake and Dawson received special-made flight suits, flights in an F-15 simulator, an interactive squadron tour, an air traffic control tower tour, a birds-of-prey demonstration, an up-close viewing of an F-15C Eagle and HH-60G Pavehawk and were presented a personal set of pilot wings.
"We thought it was going to be a case of turning up on the base, looking at a couple of airplanes quickly and that was it," said Mark Snowling, Jake's father. "So we have been really pleasantly surprised. It has been so much more than we expected."
Though the boys enjoyed all the day's activities such as wielding an HH-60G Pavehawk's GAUC-20 minigun and .50 caliber machine gun and having birds of prey land on them, one stop stood out.
"Definitely for the boys I think it was the simulator ... it was a job to get them out of there," said Snowling. "They loved it. It was brilliant."
According to Snowling, becoming a pilot for a day was a welcome break for the boys.
"It was a really enjoyable day." said Snowling. "It was a great challenge for the kids to get out and away from their illness and experience something we probably wouldn't ever see otherwise."
The "Pilot for a Day" program was started at RAF Lakenheath in March 2012 by Maj. Jason Bianchi, 493rd FS pilot, with the intent to assist children throughout local communities who are fighting life-threatening illnesses or conditions by providing a day of fun and allowing for a break from the routine doctor and hospital visits.
