Kentucky teen’s dream takes flight, courtesy of Hawaii Make-a-Wish

Thirteen-year-old Chase Carson strapped into the two-seat prop plane and flashed a huge smile and a shaka for cameras Tuesday in preparation for an around-Oahu flight from a private hangar at Hono­lulu Airport.

Chase, a recovering cancer patient from London, Ky., had an hourlong flight — and even tried his hand at flying the plane — courtesy of Make-a-Wish, which grants wishes to children diagnosed with life-threatening conditions.

The teen is on a six-day vacation here with mother Leigh Ann Howard and two family friends.

"I wanted to be a pilot ever since I watched the movie ‘Red Tails,’" Chase said.

In 2011 he was diagnosed with Burkitts lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma characterized by fast-growing tumors. Chase underwent six months of chemotherapy and has been in remission for a year.

"Make-a-Wish, they’ve been great," Howard said. "He just told them his wish, and they worked really hard on it ever since. They have all kinds of surprises for him."

For the 2012-2013 fiscal year, the Hawaii Make-a-Wish organization pro­jects it will grant 70 wishes to local children. The local branch also assists out-of-state children who wish to come to Hawaii, local wish coordinator Steph­a­nie Abs­meier said.

Chase’s wish was to come to Hawaii and fly in a World War II fighter plane. This wasn’t possible due to Air Force sequester cuts and age stipulations on certain planes, Air Force Capt. Rob Ice said.

Instead, Chase flew with Kai­mana Aviation owner and pilot Hank Bruckner in a CAP-10 French aerobatic airplane, a 1983 single-engine propeller plane with side-by-side seating.

They did "rolls, loops and a maneuver called a hammerhead turn," Bruckner said. Chase executed the stunts with help from Bruckner. He even did a few barrel rolls unassisted.

"He’s got a good touch," Bruckner said.

The past two years have been difficult on Chase and Howard. Despite being in remission, Chase is facing health problems with his liver, an effect of chemotherapy. The cancer treatment wrecked the bile ducts in his liver, requiring the implantation of six stents to allow his liver to drain, Howard said. When he returns to Kentucky next week, he will undergo surgery to check on the stents.

Chase said he picked the islands because of Pearl Harbor, the warmth and his mom’s desire to visit. Their itinerary for the trip includes a stay at the Sheraton Waikiki, a VIP tour of Pearl Harbor and the Pacific Aviation Museum, a flight in an aerobatic glider and swimming with dolphins at Sea Life Park.