Six-year-old experiences the excitement of the Air Force

Published May 12, 2010
By Capt. Kyle Mattie
375th Operations Support Squadron

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- It was a long-distance flight from a small island over the vast open waters of the Pacific. Any pilot would need to be alert on a mission this important and know that failure isn't an option. If you looked around the dark cockpit of the KC-135, you would see five people all fixated on the view outside the glass windows, only one thing would stand out in this scene, there were no pilots amongst the five-member crew.

The plane was on final to land, and it was mostly quiet, except for a few words from one member of the crew.

These instructions entered Kelby Rush's ears and were converted into motion through his two hands that held a tight grip on the controls. Kelby's feet could barely reach the rudder pedals of the mighty bird, but he was determined to land the aircraft. With the grace of a seasoned pilot, the young boy made a two-bounce successful landing, nothing short of remarkable for a first timer. You see, this unique mission put the controls of the KC-135 in the hands of a six-year-old and resulted in nothing short of success and a memory of a lifetime.

Kelby Rush was Scott Air Force Base's Pilot for a Day on Friday. His remarkable simulator flight was one of the many feats this six-year-old conquered during his day visiting the base and experiencing the Air Force first hand.

Kelby's day, accompanied by his parents Shaun and Kelli, and his younger sister Chloe, 4, consisted of being transported to his appointments in two military Humvees escorted by Senior Airman Matthew Noble and Airman 1st Class Andrea Wilcox from the 375th Security Forces Squadron. On his arrival, he was inducted into the 458th Airlift Squadron by the squadron's commander, Lt. Col. Robert VanHoose, as an honorary member. He fit into the role easily donning his own flight suit with name tapes and patches.

From there Kelby took a tour of a C-40 by the 932nd Airlift Wing, was inducted as an honorary member of the 375th Operations Support Squadron, flew on a local St. Louis sortie by Wings Of Hope, toured the air traffic control tower, taxied in a C-21 to the red carpet where he was met by the fire department and looked inside one of their trucks. From there, Kelby and his family enjoyed a delicious meal at the dining facility and recharged for the afternoon.

After lunch, Kelby took the controls of the 126th Air Refueling Wing KC-135 simulator, watched a military working dog demonstration and took part in an Explosive Ordnance Disposal demonstration at the EOD range. A full day that would tire any normal 6-year-old, but Kelby, diagnosed with leukemia at age 5, had enough enthusiasm and energy to stay steps ahead of the group. The only time he showed any fatigue was at the end of the day when he would have preferred to "take a nap" in the Humvee and stay at the base rather than begin his voyage home.

The Pilot for a Day program is ongoing at Scott and provided on a strictly voluntary basis. The individual sections that take a lead role in the day's activities do so on their own accord. Individuals juggle their daily tasks, duties and go above and beyond to meet mission needs and still rise to the occasion to make these visits unforgettable.

"Scott Air Force Base is definitely a first class base in my book," said Mr. Rush.