Columbus AFB hosts young survivor

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Stephanie Englar
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  A child gets their chance at experiencing life as a pilot at Columbus Air Force Base March 8 thanks to the Pilot for a Day program.

The Pilot for a Day program gave Jacob Partlow and his family a chance to come on base for a tour of the facilities, and a chance to try out the T-38 simulator. Children are given a flight suit to put on, complete with name tag and patches.

Partlow, who dreams of being a famous basketball player one day, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia back in 2009 at Blair E. Batson Children Cancer Center in Jackson, Miss.

"We heard about the Pilot for a Day program from the children's cancer clinic, and decided to look in to it," said Olevia Williams, Partlow's mother.

The tour started at the fire station where Partlow watched two Airmen race into their gear before it was his chance to get into the bright silver suit as fast as he could. After the fire station, it was off to the Walker Center for aircraft tours and a "hero shot", a photo where Partlow was able to pose next to multiple aircraft.

Capt. Bryan Hladik, 14th Student Squadron, said maintenance helped out the Pilot for a Day program by providing three different jets for Partlow to explore. Partlow was able to look at a T-38C Talon, a T-6 Texan II and a T-1A Jayhawk.

"The kids' faces light up when they see the jets during the base tour," said Hladik, who is managing Pilot for a Day for the fifth time.

Following lunch and a tour of the Air Traffic Control Tower, Partlow took a seat inside the T-38 simulator, which is able to reproduce the feeling of being inside of a T-38. Inside he found all the gauges and controls that can be found in a real aircraft.

"My favorite part of the program is the T-38 simulator," said Hladik. "Kids are always really shy at the beginning but the simulator makes them act like a kid again."