Bud is an 87-year-old man who lives in Minnesota and has had a passion for flight ever since he was only 14 years old. Bud remembers growing up in rural Minnesota and watching planes pass through the sky and wondering what it would feel like to fly one. It did not take long for Bud to discover the mystery of flight on his own, and he obtained his pilot’s license when he was in his mid 20’s. Bud owned two different planes and used them for work as he delivered glass products to shops all around the Midwest. “Every time I got in an airplane, it felt like I was not in the world. It was a perfect escape. It was something that I loved, and I really think highly of the people who I flew with,” said Bud reflecting on his flight career. Aside from using flight to improve his business, Bud used his plane to help the police find convicts who had escaped from jail or even find missing children or pets.
Most importantly to Bud, he absolutely loves reflecting on the memories of flying his children and wife around the cities in his plane. Unfortunately, in the 1970’s, Bud suffered from a heart attack and was no longer able to fly a plane. Since then, he has always wanted to take one final flight. Wish of a Lifetime was absolutely thrilled that, almost 50 years after Bud thought that he would never take flight again, he was able to take to the skies one last time. Bud went on his Wish of a Lifetime on October 25th in Anoka, Minnesota, finally able to take flight once more. Bud flew with an instructor on a 60-minute discovery flight with his family and friends cheering him on the whole way! The day proved to be emotional for Bud and his entire family, and was a wonderful celebration of all that Bud accomplished in his life. Bud characterized the day as a, “total thrill,” and said that he, “would remember the day forever.”
Photography by: Jennifer Burks Photography
