Once a year, an event occurs in South Florida that rolls out the red carpet for children with mental and physical disabilities. This event is Fly Day, created by the Dallas-based nonprofit Challenge Air.
On Jan. 25, Challenge Air hosted its 27th annual Fly Day in Fort Lauderdale at Banyan Air. Though the event took place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the planning began 364 days prior.
“Just by trial and error, we were able to discover that we could use the airplane as a modality of inspiration and motivation as well as education and entertainment,” said Jeff Shaffner.
Shaffner was one of the original pilots who flew as a wheelchair-bound pilot in the event. He is now a Fort Lauderdale Rotarian and member of the Board of Directors for Challenge Air.
