Twelve-year-old Gabe Feinberg and Jack Cummings met last year and hit it off right away.
“He’s just such a nice and incredible kid," Gabe said.
It’s a reciprocal friendship where Jack, who lives with special needs, learns from Gabe, and Gabe learns just as much from Jack.
“Jack's mom will say Gabe has changed his life, but I think Jack has changed Gabe's life,” said Gabe’s mom, Michelle Feinberg.
The pairing is so special, Gabe decided to write about it in a children’s book.
“My mom actually posted it on Facebook. Not knowingly, a lot of people commented that they wanted to buy it," he said.
As he wrote, he learned his new buddy loved to do one thing: fly. That happens through the program called Kids in Flight.
“It's just a day to be a kid," said Paul Reidy, Chief Pilot with Kids in Flight.
The non-profit takes children with special needs to new heights, once a year, with eight volunteer pilots on a free plane, to give the family a break.
“A lot of these poor kids - their life is tied up with doctors and hospitals, and they just come to the airport, and they're just a regular kid for the day,” said Reidy.
This year, Gabe is donating all the proceeds from his book to the group, and he also gets to hop aboard with his new best friends.
“I'm so excited to go in the plane with him and I'm so excited to see him smile," Gabe said.
This is the fifteenth year for Kids Flight; the annual event will take place a Burke Lakefront Airport this Saturday.
