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Pilot for a day returns to Scott Friday

  • Published
  • By Steve Berry
  • 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE Ill --  Brooke Nichelson, 17, will be "Pilot for a Day" at Scott Friday as part of a program intended to create positive, fun experiences for children and teens with serious illnesses. 

When Brooke was 2 years old, doctors discovered a low-grade brain tumor. Since then he has endured surgeries, chemotherapy and medical emergencies. 

The Pilot for a Day program will give the teenager an inside look at the Air Force. Brooke and his family will be picked up in a Humvee at the Shiloh Gate. After an official welcome, he will don a flight suit and go airborne in a Cessna for a flight around the St. Louis Arch.
"They take them on the Arch Tour--where air traffic control will give a special clearance to fly by the arch," said Major Robert Simpson, 375th Airlift Wing Inspector General. 

Other big activities at Scott include a tour of the air traffic control tower, a simulated rescue with a fire truck, lunch at the dining facility, a military working dog demonstration and a gun range simulator. Plus, Brooke and his family will tour many other organizations on base, and will ride to and from all the activities in the Humvee. 

Pilot for a Day began at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas in 1994. Since then several bases including Scott have hosted their own version of the program. After a two year break the program is back at Scott. Along with providing a fun day for chronically and seriously ill children, the program also seeks to raise public awareness about their illnesses. 

Brooke has Pilocytic Astrocytoma. When he was 2 years old surgeons inserted a shunt to relieve pressure on his brain. Then Brooke began a year of chemotherapy. He underwent chemotherapy again in 1996, which made him constantly ill. In 2004 Brooke had surgery to remove a cyst that formed on the brain tumor. Then in 2007, Brooke, 15, underwent six surgeries to replace the original shunt that had helped regulate the cerebrospinal fluid around his brain. Last year Brooke underwent more chemotherapy and experienced additional medical emergencies. Maj. Simpson said he was looking forward to being able to help provide a special day for Brooke. 

"It should be great," Maj. Simpson said. "Everybody seems excited to participate and show him a good time."