Wings of Courage
If you ask Captain Chuck McKinnon about his job, he’ll tell you that he feels like he has never worked a day in his life. A pilot for Air Canada, Chuck has enjoyed every minute of his 40 year career with the airline. Moving through the ranks from Second Officer to First Officer and finally to Captain, Chuck is currently flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the most advanced technological airplane in the world.
During flights, one of Chuck’s favourite things to do was invite children up to the flight deck to visit with him and ask questions about what all the buttons were for, what their current position was and how high the plane was flying. But after the events of 9/11, the rules for flight deck visits changed, with flight deck doors required to be locked from departure until arrival.
Knowing these flight deck visits were a highlight of the job for many pilots, Chuck began brainstorming on other ways pilots could give back to children. With the help of the Air Canada Foundation, Chuck launched the Wings of Courage program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in June 2007. On the first Tuesday of every month, two pilots in full uniform visit SickKids to read stories to the patients in the library along with therapeutic clown A. Leboo. At the end of their visit, the pilots sign Honourary Pilot Certificates and present Wings of Courage Medallions to patients and their siblings in recognition of their courage facing illness.
“The pilots get great satisfaction from reading to the kids,” said Chuck. “We hope that we are providing a little joy for them for the short time we are there each month.”
"We hope that we are providing a little joy for (the kids) for the short time we are there each month."
The Air Canada Foundation is a big supporter of the Children’s Miracle Network, which SickKids is a member hospital of. One area of support for the Air Canada Foundation is the Hospital Transportation Program, which was launched over a decade ago. The program provides 15 paediatric hospitals across Canada (including SickKids) with access to Aeroplan Miles to assist children who need to reach medical care not available locally. The Air Canada Foundation also came on board as the 2014 official airline sponsor of the Children’s Miracle Network Champions program. With this sponsorship, each of the Canadian Champions and their families were flown to Orlando, Florida by Air Canada (for free) to take part in Momentum, an event which brings together Champions representing children’s hospitals across North America.
The Air Canada Foundation also runs a yearly Aeroplan Mile donation program in support of the Hospital Transportation Program. Aeroplan Miles donated to the Air Canada Foundation mainly serve to sustain the Hospital Transportation Program. In fact, in 2015, from December 7th to the 13th all Aeroplan Miles donated to the Air Canada Foundation will be doubled by Aeroplan up to a maximum of 500,000. This means that the more miles are donated to the Air Canada Foundation the more children we can help reach the medical care they deserve.
The involvement the Air Canada Foundation has with Children’s Miracle Network and its member hospitals is something which Chuck is proud of. “Life is about giving back,” said Chuck. “The Wings of Courage program has allowed many pilots to give back to SickKids. And many pilots have had the chance to fly children and their parents to Toronto for specialized care at SickKids thanks to the Hospital Transportation Program.”
“I can tell you after almost eight years of the pilots reading at SickKids, signing Honourary Pilot Certificates and handing out Wings of Courage Medallions, we all leave the hospital with a smile on our face knowing that perhaps we made a difference for patients, siblings and their parents.”
Thank you Chuck and the Air Canada Foundation for your support!
