SELINSGROVE — Wesley Kuczawa fit right in with his aviator sunglasses.
Sitting in the backseat of a 1946 North American AT6 plane — a red and white two-seater World War II-era trainer — Wesley put on the headset and gave a thumbs up to his family standing nearby as he began to roll toward the runway.
With a fascination of flying and a desire to be a pilot, the 15-year-old Lewisburg resident was given the ride as a 16th birthday present by his parents. They won the ride during a silent action earlier this year, held by the Lewisburg Sunrise Rotary Club. The winning bid was around $400.
The plane is owned by Mifflinburg resident Paul John, co-owner of the airport, who spent the hour before flight waxing and getting it ready.
“I was not expecting (the present),” Wesley said at the Penn Valley Airport on Saturday before taking off, “I never thought my mom would be OK with it.”
His mom, Donna Kuczawa, admitted she was a bit nervous but was thrilled for her son. And it was obvious by the photo shoot next to and inside the plane before the flight and the cheers made as he was preparing.
“I’m nervous of course but it’s what he wants to do and it was a good gift for him,” she said. “He wants to do flips and rolls, but I told him to just tell me about it when he gets back.”
Wesley has been a fan of planes and flying his whole life. He builds model planes, watches them on TV and in movies and is interested in how they work and how they have evolved from then to now.
The only other planes he has ever been in was a Piper Cub and a Boeing 747.
“We would watch a lot of World War II documentaries which piqued his interest when he was young,” said his dad, Rick Kuczawa. “We continue to watch them on the History and Discovery channels.”
While taking off, Wesley’s parents and sister, Sarah, 20, cheered him on, along with his grandparents, Jim and Darcie Gruber ,of Ashland.
“He’s going to talk about this for weeks,” Sarah Kuczawa joked, smiling and taking photos of her brother flying away.
The family stood outside the hangar and watched the plane grow smaller as it flew into the distance.
After the ride, Wesley couldn’t stress enough how the day was the best birthday present he’s ever received.
“(John) was so generous and it turned from being a one-hour ride into a seven-hour ride for the entire family,” Wesley said. “It was so cool. My dad, sister and I got to ride in the plane, then everyone got to fly in the helicopter.”
During his flight, he got to fly over his home and around the Valley. John even did barrel rolls and a loop for Wesley.
John also gave Wesley a book on the plane and signed it for him.
He mentioned several times how the day was one of the biggest highlights of his life.
“It was the best time and best present ever,” Wesley said. “Everybody had a great time, it was a good family day.”
News
Related Photos
Discussion
Teen takes flight in World War II trainer
- News
-
-
Cases involving gas station drug sales advance to Montour County Court
DANVILLE – Three people charged with selling heroin and Oxycotin tablets during two separate transactions at a convenience store lot Jan. 2 will face court action.
-
Danville school options aired with borough council
DANVILLE — After borough officials pledged to work with school officials toward a decision on the flood-damaged middle school, council members voted not to give or sell any farmland it owns. The purpose of the unanimous action by the council Tuesday night was so the district knows that rumored option to move the school won’t happen. The borough owns a farm across from the Danville Primary School.
-
Five watershed projects receive $873,000 in state funding
NORTHUMBERLAND -- Five Valley watershed projects will get nearly $873,000 from the state Department of Environmental Protection, which announced funding for 73 projects to improve watersheds, stormwater runoff, acid mine drainage and educational programs, among other environmental efforts.
-
Dispute turns into gun threat, troopers say
After an argument in which his wife threatened divorce, William Warren Woolsey, 36, grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and told her to meet him in the bedroom, saying he would kill himself, state police at Milton said.
-
Mom allegedly beat toddlers with brush
MIFFLINBURG -- A 22-year-old Mifflinburg mother has been charged with beating her two toddlers with a hairbrush until they bled from abrasions all over their faces and bodies, state police at Milton said. The abuse came to light when Brittany Morgan Sullivan's parents came home and found the wounds on their grandchildren, according to police.
-
Commissioners give disabled Sunburian a chance
SUNBURY -- A 22-year-old disabled man asked the Northumberland County commissioners a life-changing question last week. "Can I have a job?" Giuseppe Bua, of Sunbury, was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a genetic disorder in which bones break easily. Sometimes the bones break for no known reason. The disorder also can cause weak muscles, brittle teeth, a curved spine and hearing loss.
-
Trucking firm to add 25 drivers
MILTON -- The president of Watsontown Trucking Co. said Tuesday that his firm will be hiring 25 truck drivers in addition to several diesel technician and management positions, all due to expansion. President Steve Patton said the company, which has been in the Milton Industrial Park since 2004, bought 14 additional acres in the park, adding 10,000 square feet of office space and maintenance facilities. Construction on the new space, he said, will begin shortly and is targeted to be completed by June.
-
Mayor wants trucks to help fund roads
SUNBURY -- Mayor David Persing is frustrated with truck traffic entering the former Celotex site on North Front Street, and he wants to do something about it. Charge an impact fee. Gas companies have paid millions to repair roads damaged by trucks in the Marcellus shale region, and Persing wants to levy a fee to compensate the city for damage to roads caused by trucks hauling drilling waste through the city. About $25 per truck per visit, he said.
-
18-year-old dies in truck crash on Routes 11-15
LIVERPOOL -- An 18-year old Selinsgrove man was killed when his pickup truck collided with a tractor-trailer on Routes 11-15 in Perry County.
-
Reactions to budget plan mixed
SUNBURY -- Reaction to Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2012-2013 budget came from all directions Tuesday.
-
Proposal alters school funding
HARRISBURG -- Gov. Tom Corbett has proposed steady funding for K-12 basic education in his $27.1 billion budget for 2012-13. But how school districts get their money will change as four line items will be combined into one block grant for most basic education funding. That has made for some debate about any actual increase to basic education.
-
High school roundup: Rosini pin lifts Ironmen over Tigers
DANVILLE -- Steven Rosini's pin over Connor Houseknecht in 37 seconds in the final bout of the day at 132 pounds prevented disaster for Danville as the Ironmen pulled out a 40-36 Heartland Athletic Conference crossover victory on Tuesday.
- More News Headlines
-
Cases involving gas station drug sales advance to Montour County Court
