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Tallahassee veterans take to the skies over their hometown as Dream Flight honorees

The first contingent of Dream Flight veterans gather on the airport tarmac in preparation for boarding the biplane.
Tom Flanigan
The first contingent of Dream Flight veterans gather on the airport tarmac in preparation for boarding the biplane.

Some Tallahassee veterans were taking to the skies over their hometown on Friday, Oct. 31. They were part of the annual Dream Flight program.

Florida Healthcare Association CEO Emmett Reed welcomed the veterans to Friday's Dream Flight happening.

"You ready to jump out of a plane today?" he quipped as the vets and family members laughed "Oh, we're not parachuting today! Except for this gentleman; how many jumps do you have under your belt?"

To which former Navy pilot Robin Hastings replied, "One-hundred-thirty-seven."

"Well, how about that?" exclaimed Reed. "When I made that joke, he put me in my place real quick!"

Although, before he was wheeled out to the tarmac and the waiting aircraft, Hastings promised to stay safely strapped in the passenger seat.

"Why jump out of a perfectly good airplane that's going to land anyway?" he said with a twinkle in his eye.

He was one of the dozen or so veterans who got to ride in the World War II vintage biplane for a 15-minute flight over Tallahassee. Dream flight partners are the Florida Healthcare Association, Florida Department of Veterans Affairs and Florida Veterans Foundation.

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Tom Flanigan has been with WFSU News since 2006, focusing on covering local personalities, issues, and organizations. He began his broadcast career more than 30 years before that and covered news for several radio stations in Florida, Texas, and his home state of Maryland.

Find complete bio, contact info, and more stories. here.