Special flight for youngster
You couldn’t wipe the grin off the face of Manawatu¯ child Domanic Grant after taking the controls during a special fundraiser flight by Massey University’s school of aviation.
Massey took part in the Poppy Flight, a fundraiser for the RSA and Starship Foundation, on Tuesday, with pilot Reuben wohlers flying from Palmerston North to Hastings to collect the ‘‘poppy and star’’ and return.
Wohlers also took 8-year-old Domanic from Shannon and his father Phil on the journey.
Domanic was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukaemia in November 2019.
He was still having regular visits to Starship, but was almost ready to return to school fulltime.
Domanic was beaming after going on the flight, about 45 minutes each way, and was proudly sporting a massey aviation shirt and hat.
Phil said it was an amazing flight and Domanic even took the controls briefly.
Domanic regularly flew to Auckland to go to hospital, so was used to flying, but this trip was special.
‘‘Hewas smiling all the way into town,’’ mother Cherie said. domanic said he was looking forward to going back to school fulltime, playing soccer and riding his bike.
Anke Smith, the aviation school’s manager of business development and international programmes, contacted Starship to see if the hospital recommended any children to go on the flight and Domanic was chosen.
The poppy and star, a bag of handcrafted poppies, is being taken all over the country, with 30 pilots doing different legs.
The works will be donated to charity. After arriving in Palmerston North, the poppy and star was taken to Julia Wallace Retirement Village for an official welcome.