8 local seniors to soar skies in World War II-era biplane

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Eight Fernley Estates residents, ranging in age from 70 to 94 years, will take off on Dream Flights on Thursday in a 1942 Boeing-Stearman — the same airplane that was used to train military aviators in the 1940s.

Former pilots will be invited to take the stick and maneuver the plane. Each resident will take a 15 to 20-minute flight, soaring 1,000 feet above their neighbors and friends.

Fernley Estates will provide a pancake breakfast beginning at 8 a.m. The Nevada Veterans Coalition will present the colors prior to the first flight take-off at 9 a.m.

The flights are courtesy of Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Darryl Fisher in 2011 to honor U.S. military veterans living in long-term care facilities.

To date, the organization has provided more than 1,900 Dream Flights to veterans nationwide.