In recognition of their spirit of service in the use of business aviation, charter operator International Jet Aviation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation are being honored with this year’s Al Ueltschi Award for Humanitarian Leadership by NBAA. The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Charter operator International Jet Aviation (IJA) has been working with the Colorado chapter of Make-A-Wish Foundation in Denver since 1990, giving Make-A-Wish children rides in specially painted Learjets, dubbed “Dream Chasers.” This year’s Dream Chaser, a Learjet 35A, flew a total of 54 Make-A-Wish children, aged four to 18, on 10 local flights out of Centennial Airport in Denver (IJA’s home airport), Colorado Springs Airport, Albuquerque International, Orange County Airport in Santa Ana, Calif. and Salt Lake City International from January 20 to 23.

The flights typically carried six children at a time along with a Make-A-Wish chaperone and took about 45 minutes block-to-block in the local area. The IJA crews have learned that the kids like it more when the airplane flies low, Lynn Krogh, CEO of IJA, told AIN. “We try to stay below 10,000 feet, so the kids can see more. Some have never been on any kind of airplane before and they like to find their homes and schools and other places they know.” Before taking off, the children have a chance to sit in the cockpit and talk to the pilots.

On the ground, IJA, the local FBO and others provide activities for the children while they wait to go on a flight, as well as for parents and siblings who don’t get fly. “They get to try on a pilot’s uniform and hat and get to see what an airplane does. We make it clear that the airplane was painted up just for them. And we have cake and punch, a clown, balloons and a lot of other freebies,” Krogh said. “At Orange County, the fire and rescue people came out. Sometimes a news helicopter will be there. The kids get to sign a big poster of the Dream Chaser and also the side of the airplane. And they all receive a hat and t-shirt featuring the jet to commemorate their day.”

Asked what the kids like best about the flights, Krogh said, “Well, I’d have to say the snack baskets on the airplanes. They always go for that.”

Interestingly, few of the Make-A-Wish children have specifically wished for a flight in an airplane. “They are at various stages with Make-A-Wish; some have already had their wish and others are still waiting for it. Some have started their treatment while others are stable or in remission. They are all across the board. The flights are something out of the blue for them. They get contacted by their local Make-A-Wish chapter, which offers the opportunity on a first-come, first-served basis. Once you are part of the Make-A-Wish family, you’re always a part of it. It’s not just a one-shot wish and you’re done.”

Donated Airplanes

IJA has flown Make-A-Wish flights four times with four different airplanes, all Learjets, since the first Dream Chaser, a Learjet 25, flew in 1990. (The second in 1998 was also a Learjet 25 and the third in 2006 was a Learjet 35A.) The timing depends on the availability of a suitable airplane that is in need of new paint. “We have used two airplanes we had ownership in and two others that we manage for the owners. Obviously, we need to get the owners’ permissions to use their airplanes, because it takes about a month for the whole project. We cover the costs,” Krogh explained.

IJA employees strip off the airplane’s old paint and then an FAA-approved aircraft painter repaints the airplane in the distinctive rainbow livery, which is kept for only about 10 days. “After the Make-A-Wish flights the airplane goes back into the shop and comes out with a conventional paint job before going back into charter service,” he said. The Learjet 35’s charter rate is about $2,500 per hour.

Many IJA employees–pilots, mechanics and dispatchers–volunteered their time to the project. In addition, other individuals and companies helped with fuel costs, painting and other support.

“This is a chance for our employees to give back something to the community,” Krogh concluded. “It is really rewarding to us to know we have brought some extra fun and excitement to the kids of Make-A-Wish.” He added that IJA supports the foundation in other ways every year. “We really appreciate what Make-A-Wish does.”

Make-A-Wish

The Make-A-Wish foundation grants the wishes of children who are diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions in the U.S. and abroad, based on the belief that a wish experience can be a game-changer.

Joan Muzak, CEO of the Colorado chapter of Make-A-Wish, told AIN, “The main thing the [Dream Chaser] flights do for us is give us a lot of exposure, because we always get a lot of press. When the kids first see the airplane down the runway, they can’t really tell it is much different, but when it comes right by you, it’s like a giant, neon Life Savers [candy]. It’s really pretty awesome. It is almost like an amusement ride, it is so decorative. The kids are absolutely thrilled. And International Jet goes all out for the families. They’ve really been wonderful to us.”

Muzak started the Colorado Make-A-Wish chapter after her eight-year-old daughter died 32 years ago and has been the executive director ever since.

Donations to Make-A-Wish can be made via the nonprofit’s website: wish.org. Donations can be designated for local chapters, national organizations or the international organization.

The Al Ueltschi Award for Humanitarian Leadership, created in his memory in 2006, honors Ueltschi for his lifelong dedication to humanitarian causes. Among these is Project Orbis, the international nonprofit that is dedicated to preventing blindness and saving sight, which he was instrumental in forming and for which he served as chairman for more than 20 years.