Et cetera : Vinton resident flies again after years thanks to Windsor Manor Dreams campaign

Gloria McNaughton readies for take-off. She first flew as a teenager but has not flown for decades.

Mark and Kimberly Noe hear Gloria McNaughton tell how she obtained her pilot's license at age 18.

Gloria briefly had the chance to steer the Noe's Cessna; decades ago she flew a Cessna with CAP.

Gloria McNaughton surprised all the guys at the airport when she showed up for flying lessons at an airport in Texas.

She was only 18, and she was a female.

“We didn’t have many female pilots then,” she said Saturday at the Vinton airport.

McNaughton got her pilot’s license shortly after graduating from high school. She later served with the Civil Air Patrol for a few years.

She had not flown in a small plane for decades.

But on Saturday, she had the chance, thanks to a program at Windsor Manor that seeks to help residents see their dreams come true.

“Last winter, the Team got together and asked residents about their dreams with the goal to make them come true. Windsor Manor’s philosophy revolves around quality of life and maintaining independence.” said Bethany Clemenson, Manager. “What better way to increase quality of life than to fulfill some dreams? After reviewing all the dreams an idea was born and that idea became the Operation Dream Builders program.”

Gloria’s dream was to fly again. Mark and Kimberly Noe of Vinton helped that dream come true on Saturday morning. They met Gloria at the airport, along with some family members and several other Windsor Manor residents.

After sharing her story with the Noes, Gloria went for a plane ride in their Cessna, a plane similar to the one she flew. Along with her great-grandson, AJ Castro, Gloria got buckled in. She wore a headset so she could speak to the Noes while they flew.

The goal was set at one dream fulfilled each month for Windsor Manor residents.