PA Boy Gets VIP Treatment at Sikorsky Thanks to Make A Wish
A boy whose age and bad health would normally bar him from flying a helicopter took the controls briefly Tuesday during a Make-A-Wish visit to the nation's oldest helicopter manufacturer.
"You ready to go, Dad?" William Beyer, 6, asked his father, Wes Beyer, inside a Sikorsky S-76, a high-end helicopter outfitted for its wealthy passengers like the fanciest SUV.
William sat next to pilot Ray Altieri in the cockpit, looking the part of chopper crew with flight suit, aviator shades and a black cap. He brought his favorite stuffed animal, Licorice the cat, along for the ride. Wes Beyer sat in the back in the fancy commuter passenger section where reading material included a glossy Houses of The Hamptons pamphlet.
During the 10-minute flight about 1,000 to 2,000 feet above Trumbull and the Housatonic River, Altieri gave his co-pilot a quick turn at the controls before returning the massive chopper to the factory helipad.
"He got a little stick time in," Altieri said. "He did just fine. He was all set to go. I don't know who had more fun — him or us."
The four-hour visit started with a trip to the Sikorsky complex in a fancy limo, two short chopper flights — a 20-minute shoreline trip for the entire Beyer family and the second one with little William in the cockpit — and a factory tour after lunch.
The day was arranged by the Connecticut chapter of the Make-A-Wish foundation, a national nonprofit that grants wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.
William was born with a rare heart defect called hypoplastic right heart syndrome. He spent his first year in a hospital, had a heart transplant at 10 months and has struggled with medical problems since. He will likely need another heart transplant in his teens, doctors say.
His parents, Wes and Michelle, and brother Jake, 4, also came to Sikorsky for the tour and events. Like his big brother, Jake brought along a favorite toy — a stuffed dog named Rena.
"William has been overexcited the last few days," Wes Beyer said on the landing pad before the factory tour began. "He's been through more than any kid should. So days like this are wonderful."
The Beyers are from Collegeville, Pa., near Philadelphia. When William asked to see where helicopters are made, the Connecticut chapter helped arrange the visit to Sikorsky.
The visit is the first Make-A-Wish event at Sikorsky, a premier defense plant with very strict security. William and his family were given tours of things most visitors cannot see — training facilities, the assembly and a military hangar.
Company president Dan Schultz greeted the Beyers, gave William an aviator's jacket and even helped the tiny pilot into the coat and rolled up the cuffs to fit.
At some point in the day, William was to get a honorary helicopter pilot license.
Catherine H. Sneed, one of the Sikorsky officials there to assist the Beyers, said the family was going to have a rare treat — a visit to where aircraft are made, a place usually off-limits to the public.
"I talked to a lot of guys in the plant and no one can ever recall any visit like this," she said.
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