Pilot-for-day visits 62nd Fighter Squadron

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Melanie Iannaggi
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Having only half of a normal-size heart didn't slow this tiger down when he took part in the pilot-for-a-day program Nov. 20 at Luke Air Force Base.

Micah "Tiger" Fraley, visited Luke with his mom, Heather; dad, Michael; sisters, Madison and Makey; and grandfather Timothy Miller, who is a retired Air Force master sergeant.

Micah was selected to participate in the PFAD program at Luke, because he was born with only half of his heart developed. He has already had four surgeries and might need another when he reaches puberty.

"Micah is doing really well now but he had a pretty rough start," Mr. Miller said. "We have always tried to teach him that anything is possible for him, and this program does that."

The day began at the 62nd Fighter Squadron where Tiger met Lt. Col. William Jones, 56th Operations Support Squadron commander, and was given a flight suit, name patch and a coin.

The family toured the squadron and was given a briefing by Capt. Matthew Acer, 56th OSS instructor pilot, where they learned the basics about being a pilot.

The simulator was a favorite part of the trip for Tiger and his family.

"It was like playing a videogame but way better," he said.

He and his father played against his older sister while everyone else watched and laughed as they "learned" how to fly.

After lunch at Club Thunderbolt, Captain Acer brought Micah to see his F-16 on the flightline with his name on it.

Tiger's eyes lit up, mouth dropped and he sprinted up the ladder to jump in the seat.
"It was really cool to sit in my own plane," Micah said.

His grandfather enjoyed being on the flightline as well.

"It brought back a lot of memories and it was a huge adrenaline rush," he said. "The whole experience was really neat and a whole lot more than I expected."

Captain Acer said he the event was successful because of many people across base.
"It was great to see all the base agencies come together to support Tiger," Capt. Acer said. "Everyone did a great job getting the mission accomplished."