“Giving back to those who gave:” Veterans take flight in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Dream Flights took multiple veterans on the trip of a lifetime the morning of Saturday, September 9th. The organization takes veterans for flights all over the nation for free, upon request through their website.

"[I'm] delighted to be here." Vietnam veteran George Saunders said. "The folks who put this on have gone to great difficulty, I'm sure, to get the equipment and the people that they have making all this come together."

Saunders was one of three veterans to take a ride in a Stearman Biplane, one that crew chief David Schwark says that WWII veterans would have trained in.

None of the veterans that went for a ride today were pilots, but Schwark says that they were well deserving of the ride.

"Our motto is to give back to those who gave. And that's why we are here today," Schwark said.

The organization has multiple planes all over the nation, of which four or five are in use doing exactly what they did in Colorado Springs today.

"The best thing about the flight was that it was safe," Veteran Mal Walkin said with a laugh.

The veterans are paired with a pilot in the two-hole cockpit for their flight.

"It was kind of romantic ... and a lot of fun," Walkin said.