Eleven-year-old becomes F-16 pilot

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Melanie Holochwost
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  An 11-year-old autistic boy, who also suffers from Duchene Muscular Dystrophy, had the opportunity to become a pilot-for-a day at Luke Air Force Base Nov. 19.

"Dressed to kill," Anthony "Flash" Castle proudly wore his flight suit, call sign and other various Tophat patches he was given.

Anthony was selected to participate in the PFAD program at Luke through Phoenix Children's Hospital because he has been in and out of hospitals his entire life, seeing about 10 different specialists at a time for various medical issues.

According his mother, Jill Castle, Anthony recently became quite famous in the medical world.

"He was one of the first in the world to try a new drug for muscular dystrophy," she said. "While he was taking the drug, his muscles became stronger, which proved that the drug worked.

The day began at the 310th Fighter Squadron where Anthony and his family toured the squadron and were given a briefing by Capt. Christopher Jones, 56th Training Squadron instructor pilot, where they learned the basics about being a pilot.

Throughout the day, Anthony and his family sat in a real F-16, practiced flying in the simulators and watched jets take off and land from the control tower catwalk.

"I pretty much liked everything," Anthony said. "I liked getting coins and sitting in the F-16 was so cool. Now, I want to be a pilot even more."

Anthony's brother, Oliver, 9, also had a great time during the tour.

"The simulator was so much fun," Oliver said. "It was also cool to see Anthony get coined by Colonel McCutchen."

Chris Castle, Anthony's father, said he enjoyed the tour as much as his children.

"We all had such an incredible time here," he said. "We are so grateful to have had this opportunity."

Captain Jones said PFAD tours are an excellent way to give back to the community.
"We are so blessed as pilots," he said. "So many people aspire to do what we do. It was fun to take a break from training pilots and give a family in the local community a glimpse at what we do every day."