Dream flight comes true for Quail Creek resident

Lloyd Brown is a Quail Creek resident who’s known throughout the neighborhood as a first class woodworker with a great sense of humor and as an all around good guy. An industrial accident some 12 years ago left Lloyd pretty much confined to a wheel chair but his indomitable spirit and refusal to be held back have amazed his family and all who know him. It should be of no surprise then that when he decided that he wanted to fly in an open cockpit airplane that he would find a way, and find a way he did. It didn’t happen on the first try but on the second try, September 3, 2014, he flew in a 1942 Boeing Stearman over the Olympic Peninsula in Sequim, Washington. Lloyd was in town to visit his twin brother Lyle when they discovered that the plane rides were being offered to veterans and seniors the next day at Sequim airport. That night they inquired about it and were told that something could possibly be arranged and that they should come back the next day. Hot air balloon Captain Crystal Stout and Ageless Aviation Dreams coordinator Diane Winterboer made it happen. Upon Lloyd’s arrival the next morning he found the Clallam County Fire District firefighters were on site with a simple but efficient lifting apparatus which was used to hoist him into the open cockpit plane and prepare him for the 25 minute flight. It was the Navy veteran’s first since 1961. Lloyd’s brother and 30 other veterans were treated to similar flights which were piloted by volunteer pilot Mike Winterboer. The fuel was donated by Casey Dennis, owner of Casey’s Kettle Corn in Sequim. Upon the return of his flight Lloyd said, “I was so honored, I barely held the tears back.” No one else did. Without the efforts of all involved and the local fire department, there’s no way this could have happened. Another thing Lloyd would like to try is “to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.” No one should be surprised when that happens. For more information check out agelessaviationdreams.org or olympicpinsulaairaffaire.com.