Hi everyone. Words truly can’t express how moved I am by the generosity and well-wishes from this community. I’m starting to understand why my dad had such a lifelong passion for flight - it’s clearly a community of incredible people.

My dad suffered immensely these past two months. He lost his ability to communicate effectively, to scroll through his WWII history pages, or even to turn his eyes to the sky. Some of the only times I truly "saw" my dad during his hospitalization were when I read to him from Warbirds or told him about the planes I heard circling over his house. He'd grin widely in amusement when I’d tell him about a plane I'd heard overhead, admitting to the help of Flight Radar, because I couldn't ID the engine by sound alone like he could. Even at his weakest, he was still the expert.

In the wake of his loss, it’s easy to get lost in "why didn't I" regrets. Being able to coordinate this memory with you all provides a genuine sense of hope for my family. It’s a genuine gift to be able to create one last aviation memory with him. 

Several pilots have reached out to circle above his visitation, and I am struggling to find words adequate for my thanks.

It has been a rough few months and an even harder past few days. I am just simply blown away by the support from everyone in this sub and will gladly share updates on how things play out. In the meantime, here's a poor quality picture from my dad's first solo flight in '94.