‘America’s Operation Thank You’ pays tribute to healthcare workers and first responders
SANTA ANA — A nationwide relay through the sky that will take more than a month will pay homage to the tireless work of healthcare workers and first responders during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Spirit of Liberty Foundation and the San Diego Air and Space Museum have come together to put on America’s Operation Thank You, an airborne journey that will see aircraft fly to 98 cities across all 50 states. The final landing spot will be Washington, D.C.
Representatives from the Spirit of Liberty Foundation made reference to how those who led the country through World War II are often referred to as “The Greatest Generation” as a means of comparison to express how much they revere the work of those on the front lines in the battle against the virus.
“They need their spirits lifted because it’s a tough, tough time,” Richard Rovsek, the chairman of the Spirit of Liberty Foundation, said. “We came up with the idea of doing a relay in the sky. This has never been done. There is nothing like it. We’ll have over 200 different pilots flying over 100 different planes stopping in 98 cities carrying the torch and our banner.
“It’s unprecedented, and we’re going to do this all in 37 days. Thirty-seven days from now, we’ll be in Washington, D.C., landing at [Ronald Reagan Washington] National Airport.”
The torch and banner will be displayed at a ceremony held at each destination along the way. Traveling with the materials designed to pay tribute to healthcare professionals and first responders for every leg of the relay is Skippy Helmly, a 21-year-old senior at San Diego State University from Annapolis, Md.
“This stands for all of the superheroes in today’s day and age, which are fighting the evil enemy of COVID-19, so they fight 18 hours a day, seven days a week, so that’s who we’re doing it for,” Helmly said. “We just want to thank them. They’ve been fighting for about the last six or seven months.”
Helmly also said that the fight against the pandemic could be the defining moment for the current generation.
Rovsek added that partners in the celebratory flight relay include the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assn., the General Aviation Manufacturers Assn., the National Business Aviation Assn., and the American Hospital Assn.
The mission is also supported by fixed base operators like Atlantic Aviation, Signature Flight and Million Air.
A multitude of pilots will participate in the relay. Luis Reynoso, 25, of Santa Barbara and Melissa Johnston, 21, of San Diego arrived at John Wayne Airport from San Diego International Airport on a Cessna provided by California Aeronautical University.
“I’m the assistant chief pilot at California Aeronautical University in San Diego, and I also work at an airline, so between the two, I’m pretty busy,” Reynoso said. “I took the day off just to come do this because I love to help out the community and give back.”
Johnston said that the torch was passed to Mark Larson, the chairman of the San Diego Air and Space Museum, for the second leg of the day, which transported it to Burbank.
“The torch, for us, symbolizes acknowledging everything that the healthcare workers and first responders have done,” Johnston said. “For us as a flight university, it’s also important to acknowledge that aviation is a big thing that can group America together, so passing the torch through airplanes is a really cool symbolic way of honoring those people.”
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