Wings For Heroes takes flight over the sand of Nevada

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HURON — Wounded veterans and children with a terminal illness are flying high above Las Vegas thanks to a nonprofit corporation its president calls Wings For Heroes.
Sean Donnelly is a retired police lieutenant who is married to Huron native and physical therapy physician Tina Baum.
“I wanted to do this for the individuals and families that have given so much of themselves or have gone through so much,” Donnelly said. “I wanted to say thanks for the military service or the heartache you have endured during tough times.”
Baum’s father, Dan, of Huron, was in Las Vegas for the Mecum vehicle auction when an opportunity arose for him to get a ride on Donnelly’s jet fighter, an L-39 Albatros. Made in Czechoslovakia, it is used primarily as a training aircraft. Donnelly purchased his jet about two and a half years ago.
“It’s still flown to this day in different countries around the world,” he said, including Syria, Hungary, the Ukraine and Thailand.
One of the pilots who flies wounded veterans and ill children is Fred “Spanky” Clifton, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel.
When he had Donnelly’s father-in-law back on the ground, Clifton told Donnelly that Baum had done well on the flight.
“They did quite a few aerobatic maneuvers,” Donnelly said. “He (Baum) did them all, which is really quite remarkable. Spanky said ‘wow,’ and that he was impressed.”
Donnelly, a native of Cheyenne, Wyo., spent 26 years with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, retiring as a watch commander.

One could accurately say he and Tina met by accident.
An avid snow skier, Donnelly was injured in 2004. A doctor friend of his referred him to Baum for rehabilitation. They married two years later.
The impetus for Wings For Heroes came after a dream of a 13-year-old boy was fulfilled.
Donnelly is a cancer survivor himself and, as he explains on his web site, he knows the pain and uncertainty that families experience during such illnesses.
“A co-worker and good friend had approached me at work and told me he had some friends in from Minnesota,” Donnelly said.
Their teenager had a terminal illness, and “as a last wish he wanted to ride in a police helicopter in Las Vegas,” he said. “I was able to get this done by contacting the pilots directly, who took him up.
“Shortly thereafter, about three months, the parents got in contact with my good friend to tell him what an impact this had on them,” Donnelly said.
“For the last three months, their son talked continuously about the ride,” he said. “Up until his death, he had bragging rights. It just made a difference — it just made him feel really special. They felt it helped with the whole family in preparation for his short time that he had left.”
So far, friends of his who are retired fighter jet pilots have volunteered their time to fly six times for Wings For Heroes. It operates solely on donations, and has worked with retired San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Steve Young’s foundation out of Salt Lake City.
Donnelly is a pilot but is not yet fully rated to fly his jet. He has about 1,100 hours in various airplanes, mostly Pipers. He is finishing up the course that is required for him to be able fly the L-39.
Flying is in his blood. His father was a training pilot in World War II and flew Pipers, Cessnas and the T-6 Texan.
Donnelly’s web site is: Wingsforheroes.com.

Photos:

Dan Baum and his daughter, Tina, are shown with the L-39 Albatros fighter jet that her husband, Sean Donnelly owns and uses to fly wounded veterans and terminally ill children over Las Vegas.

Next is Sean Donnelly.

Photos contributed