Atlanta squadron to make ‘Hearts of Hope’ over WellStar Thursday evening
Published 10:53 am Thursday, May 7, 2020
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Locals may notice a heart shape floating above WellStar West Georgia Medical Center Thursday evening.
Volunteer pilots based out of Falcon Field in Peachtree City have been flying over major hospitals in Georgia recently, laying down “Hearts of Hope” in the skies above.
Lead squadron pilot Bob Walden said the team had been practicing to perform in the Atlanta Air Show, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We started thinking what can we do to help,” Walden said. “We came up with the idea to draw hearts in the sky with smoke. We were just practicing it and while we’re practicing it, Facebook starting blowing up on the ground, with people saying they appreciate it and you know how it’s lifting their spirits.”
Walden said that’s when they decided to go one step further and draw the hearts over local hospitals.
The Falcon RV Squadron has flown over downtown Atlanta’s major medical facilities as well as the surrounding communities.
Its mission of spreading “Hearts of Hope” will continue with two more hearts this Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
“We are finding some of the smaller hospitals are the most appreciative,” Walden said. “The people come out, and they just really like it. It is a two-way message from us. Looking down at the hospitals, it an appreciation for first responders and medical workers. Looking up, my theory is that hope conquers fear and uncertainty.”
Walden said he hopes to bring some encouragement to the community.
“It will last about five minutes, and even sometimes up to ten minutes,” Walden said. “It is about a mile wide and a mile and a half long. The interesting thing is if you’re standing right underneath it, it looks perfect.”
All of the pilots in the Falcon RV Squadron do it completely on a volunteer basis, and pilots provide their own aircrafts as well as their own fuels.
“We are pretty excited to fly over WellStar,” Walden said. “We hope the medical workers hear about it and get to see.”
Up to 16 aircrafts will take the Thursday tonight, making two hearts.