Capt. Brian Doyle, 17th Airlift Squadron, Charleston Air Force Base, shows Children’s Hospital patient David Usery the flight deck of a C-17 Globemaster III. David was the first Children’s Hospital patient to participate in the new Pilot for a Day program.

An 11-year-old boy facing a rare disease now knows what it’s like to be a pilot for a day, thanks to the 17th Airlift Squadron (AS) at Charleston Air Force Base.

David Usery, an MUSC Children’s Hospital patient, suffers from a rare kidney disease. Members of the 17th AS recently created a program called Pilot for a Day for young people like David so that they too, can experience the thrill of military aviation.

David and his mother arrived at Charleston Air Force Base on Monday, Sept. 22. They were greeted by Capt. Brian Doyle and Staff Sgt. Brian Williams of the 17th AS, who were two key players in creating the program.

David was first taken to the 17th AS for briefing. He was given a tour of the squadron and watched a video about the C-17. After that, David and his mom got to take an up-close look at a C-17.

Following the aircraft tour and lunch, it was back to the 17th AS for a mission briefing in preparation for a real thrill—flying in the C-17 simulator.

David and his mom boarded the simulator. As the flight station door was shut, walkway raised, full motion on, David was in for the ride of his life.

After a few preliminary checks to get David acclimated to his new environment, it was up, up and away. With Doyle as coach and mentor, David was at the controls for almost an hour.

They made several takeoffs and landings. According to Doyle, David landed the C-17 like a pro.

After leaving the flight simulator, it was time to head back to the 17th AS for the highlight and culmination of the day. David had flown a C-17 (albeit a flight simulator) and earned his wings. Lt. Col. Edward Schauberger, 17th AS commander, proudly pinned on David’s flying wings.

“I think this day was absolutely wonderful,” David’s mom said. “It meant a lot to David, and I could see that he was put at ease and was able to forget about all of his problems for the day.”

“My favorite part of the day was, of course, the tour of the aircraft and actually being able to fly the simulator,” David said.

The 17th AS plans to continue the program so that other Children’s Hospital patients can have the chance to see what being a military pilot is really like.

“To remove a child from that environment for just one day to make him or her feel like they’re the most special person in the world, even if it’s just for a day, is what makes it all worthwhile,” Doyle said. “I only hope that many other commands and bases embrace this program and bring it on-line.”