Roger Wyatt
Pre-takeoff checklist
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2021
- Messages
- 101
- Display Name
Display name:
RogerW
Wayne and Melanie are two of my very good friends. We've known each other for 6 years when he came to visit my son, Beckett, who had just been diagnosed with Stage 4 Ewing's Sarcoma. It was 2 weeks after his diagnosis and he had just started chemo and was having another infection. He was diagnosed on June 15, 2016 and didn't leave the hospital for 7 weeks. Then it was back and forth every other week for chemo. In December of 2016, just a week before Christmas, we learned the cancer had mutated. Beckett passed away March 19, 2017.
Wayne and Melanie were part of the 501st Legion troop that visited the hospital. Wayne played Vader and Melanie was his handler (because we can't get dressed out without help and can't see jack squat). Beckett had a fever that morning and felt horrible, but as soon as he saw Vader, Boba Fett, 3 stormtroopers, and R2D2, his fever went away and he had more life than ever. Wayne and Melanie came back and gave Beckett a light saber, along with other toys and Star Wars stuff. Wayne and I became good friends and he became a good friend to Beckett. He was there to present Beckett with armor that another friend and 501st member had made for him. At Halloween that year, he dressed out and trick-or-treated with Beckett. He presented me with a 501st Legion flag at Beckett's funeral. To say that Wayne is a good guy is a huge understatement.
I messaged him yesterday to see if he wanted to go flying and he was all in. He wanted to know if Joseph could go. Joseph is their son and is just about to turn 4. I said sure! Melanie wanted to go too but I didn't want to try and cram her in the back of the Cherokee, so I said we would take two flights and she can go on one and Wayne on the other. Besides, I only have 3 headsets. I met them at KLKU and they had surprised Joseph, even blindfolding him on the drive to the airport. He saw Top Gun and Maverick and he had been asking them to ride in a plane. I guess my message was perfectly timed.
We got in the plane and he was looking all around and was a great passenger! He was quiet on take off and when I said he could talk he said "I feel the need for speed!". We did a circuit of Lake Anna. Wayne said to me "Beckett would have LOVED this", and he was right. I wish I could share this adventure with him in person. After the loop around the lake we came back to pick up Melanie. After swapping passengers we went back up and flew out to towards Shenandoah National Park and skirted south down the mountains for a few miles before heading back. By that time, the cheapy PNR headset that is my 3rd set started to get tiring on Joseph (after all, he had been wearing them for 1.6hrs). We landed and got out and he gave me a big hug! Smiles all around!
I love being a pilot and owning a plane that can do these things. It was a great way to spend the morning!
Wayne and Melanie were part of the 501st Legion troop that visited the hospital. Wayne played Vader and Melanie was his handler (because we can't get dressed out without help and can't see jack squat). Beckett had a fever that morning and felt horrible, but as soon as he saw Vader, Boba Fett, 3 stormtroopers, and R2D2, his fever went away and he had more life than ever. Wayne and Melanie came back and gave Beckett a light saber, along with other toys and Star Wars stuff. Wayne and I became good friends and he became a good friend to Beckett. He was there to present Beckett with armor that another friend and 501st member had made for him. At Halloween that year, he dressed out and trick-or-treated with Beckett. He presented me with a 501st Legion flag at Beckett's funeral. To say that Wayne is a good guy is a huge understatement.
I messaged him yesterday to see if he wanted to go flying and he was all in. He wanted to know if Joseph could go. Joseph is their son and is just about to turn 4. I said sure! Melanie wanted to go too but I didn't want to try and cram her in the back of the Cherokee, so I said we would take two flights and she can go on one and Wayne on the other. Besides, I only have 3 headsets. I met them at KLKU and they had surprised Joseph, even blindfolding him on the drive to the airport. He saw Top Gun and Maverick and he had been asking them to ride in a plane. I guess my message was perfectly timed.
We got in the plane and he was looking all around and was a great passenger! He was quiet on take off and when I said he could talk he said "I feel the need for speed!". We did a circuit of Lake Anna. Wayne said to me "Beckett would have LOVED this", and he was right. I wish I could share this adventure with him in person. After the loop around the lake we came back to pick up Melanie. After swapping passengers we went back up and flew out to towards Shenandoah National Park and skirted south down the mountains for a few miles before heading back. By that time, the cheapy PNR headset that is my 3rd set started to get tiring on Joseph (after all, he had been wearing them for 1.6hrs). We landed and got out and he gave me a big hug! Smiles all around!
I love being a pilot and owning a plane that can do these things. It was a great way to spend the morning!
