Free rides bring children joy
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 Reid-Hillview Airport by the Valley Medical Center Foun­dation.
  The stated goal of the festi­val, which provided free, 20­minute, small-plane rides to about 150 disabled or critical­ly ill youngsters and their parents, is to show them that ‘‘the sky is literally the limit to reaching out and overrid­ing their perceived limita­tions.’’
  A number of other organizations partici­pated in the event — from the Bill Wilson Center and Guide Dogs for the Blind to San Jo­se Break Dancers and Spina Bifida Associa­tion of the Bay Area.
  Some set up booths to pro­vide information about their services or activities. The af­fair also featured free food, clowns, face painters and oth­er entertainment.
  Flight festivals have been held since 2005 in Watson­ville and Hayward. But ‘‘this is the biggest event that we’ve done,’’ said Lisa Bick­ford, a newly hired Yahoo program manager who co­founded the flights with her live-in partner, Dean McCul­ly, a Cisco Systems engineer.
  The pair got interested in trying to do something for special-needs children be­cause McCully has an autistic nephew. The idea of taking the youngsters up in a plane and letting them operate it for a few moments seemed a perfect way to do that.
  ‘‘There is something about the wonders of flying that is special,’’ she said.
  About 35 volunteer pilots conducted the free flights, in cooperation with members of the Experimental Aircraft Association. The pilots, who paid for the fuel themselves, were joined by Chris Mala­chowsky, co-founder of Santa Clara computer-chip maker Nvidia, who offered free rides in his personal helicopter.
  Given that the copter costs about $500 an hour to oper­ate, Malachowsky, who pilot­ed it, figured the event set him back a few thousand dol­lars. But he insisted it was worth it.
  ‘‘You should hear the sound of these children and their caregivers,’’ when they are airborne, he said. ‘‘It’s really exciting. It’s infectious.’’
  The opportunity to get his hands on one of the single-en­gine plane’s controls was an unexpected and invigorating treat for 7-year-old Brandon Lara of San Jose, who has at­tention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
  ‘‘The pilot let me drive a lit­tle bit,’’ he blurted with wide­eyed exuberance, adding that he would love to try it again sometime.
  But the ride was a rather tummy-churning experience for his mom, Erica Lara.
  When her son took the con­trols under the pilot’s super­vision, ‘‘the plane went down really fast,’’ she said, not ter­ribly upset. ‘‘It made me a lit­tle queasy.’’
  Nausea sometimes can be a problem on these flights, ac­cording to one of the pi­lots, 74-year-old Russ Todd of Cupertino, who flew his passengers to An­derson Reservoir and back in a four-seat Cessna 172.
  He has been an enthusi­astic volunteer pilot since the festivals began. And experience has given him a standard, comical quip to any child or parent who suddenly seems to be getting nauseat­ed inside his plane.
  As a courtesy to the other passengers, ‘‘I always say, ‘If you’re going to throw up, then do it down your shirt.’ ’’ Contact Steve Johnson at sjohnson@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5043.
 
“ The best thing about it was learning to fly.”

 — RYAN BROWN, 16