JANESVILLE
U.S. Air Force pilot Sean Sperry traveled from Texas this week to surprise his grandfather, 糖心Vlog传媒 native and Korean War veteran Kenneth Sperry, with an early 87th birthday gift.
The surprise was to fly a Cessna 172S Skyhawk with the elder Sperry on board鈥攎uch like his father, Kent, had done for his dad and father-in-law from the same 糖心Vlog传媒 airport 40 years earlier.
鈥淪ean鈥檚 dad, Kent, took my dad up when he got his private pilot鈥檚 license in 糖心Vlog传媒,鈥 said Kim Sperry Frazier, Sean鈥檚 aunt and Kenneth鈥檚 daughter. 鈥淵ears later, Sean now has his license. He wanted to surprise my dad and take him up.鈥
Sean said he was excited to surprise 鈥淕ramps鈥 with a quick flight and continue a family tradition.
Korean War veteran Kenneth Sperry gets ready for takeoff in a聽Cessna 172S Skyhawk at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in 糖心Vlog传媒.
鈥淚 told him this morning,鈥 Sean said. 鈥溾楬ey, by the way, we鈥檙e going to stop by the airport for one last thing.鈥欌
It was there that Sean was able to rent the Cessna from Elevation Air, the flight school located at the airport.
Sean鈥檚 father, Kent, is a U.S. Air Force veteran and recently retired pilot for Southwest Airlines. When Kent first got his license, he came to the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport and flew with his grandfather (Kenneth鈥檚 father-in-law).
Kent鈥檚 grandfather was an avid hunter. So Kent flew his grandpa above his favorite hunting grounds and the cottage on Caspian Lake he owned.
鈥淢y son was all over while serving in the Air Force,鈥 Kenneth said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of him. I was my son鈥檚 first co-pilot when he was in college. That was back in the early 鈥80s.鈥
The women of the Sperry family, Janice Sperry, Kim Sperry Frazier and Emily Sperry, look on as Sean and Kenneth Sperry take off.
At a young age, Sean got the aviation bug from his dad. He even remembers being pulled around in a wagon at air shows in Oshkosh with his father and grandfather.
Sean served in the U.S. Air Force, just like his dad did, for six years. During that time, he worked in air traffic control. In 2017, Sean started working toward becoming a certified flight instructor.
Sean currently lives in Midland, Texas, and works for an outdoor retailer. His immediate family, parents Kent and Bridget and sister Emily, live in San Antonio. The family moved to Texas years ago due to Kent鈥檚 military service.
Though it caught Kenneth by surprise, he eagerly climbed into the seat next to his grandson in the cockpit.
A聽Cessna 172S Skyhawk flies above the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport piloted by Sean Sperry and co-piloted by his grandfather Kenneth Sperry.
鈥淚 love flying,鈥 Kenneth said. 鈥淚n fact, when they鈥檙e flying the big aircraft I like to sit by the window. I鈥檓 always checking to see if it鈥檚 (being flown by) a Navy pilot or a regular pilot. And how many seconds it takes for the front wheels to lift off. It doesn鈥檛 bother me. The fun part is takeoff and landing. Everything else is just stagnant.鈥
Shortly before takeoff, Sean told his grandfather, 鈥淭oday we鈥檒l have some fun. Nothing too crazy. Well, we may be upside down for a little bit.鈥
As Sean and Kenneth took to the air, their family looked on with excitement.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the best present we could ever give him,鈥 Janice Sperry, Kenneth鈥檚 wife, said, wiping a happy tear from her eye.
The Cessna 172S Skyhawk piloted by former U.S. Air Force pilot Sean Sperry prepares to take off.