PICTURE SHOWS: Sean Harris, a Maryland State Police Aviation Unit AW139 helicopter pilot, shows his flight helmet to Clyde Hicks at Joint Base Andrews STORY COPY: A young boy bravely fighting cancer had the extraordinary opportunity to experience a day in the life of a US Air Force pilot. On July 10, 8-year-old Clyde Hicks from Severna Park, Maryland, was celebrated as the 35th Pilot for a Day by the Check-6 Foundation. Clyde was diagnosed in December 2023 with a grade two intramedullary spinal astrocytoma and grade two neuroblastoma and is currently undergoing treatment at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. Accompanied by his parents and younger sister, Clyde toured various units and met with Airmen and civilians involved in Andrews’ missions. Their stops included the 1st Helicopter Squadron, 459th Air Refueling Wing, 113th Wing, 316th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Station One, Maryland Police Aviation Unit, the air traffic control tower, and a 316th Security Support Squadron military working dog demonstration. Clyde’s mother, Shelley Hicks, expressed the family's focus on positivity, saying, “The positives outweigh the negatives,” and noted that the visit significantly contributed to this goal. “Tomorrow is treatment day, so it worked out perfect,” she said, mentioning that Clyde's favourite part was the military working dog demonstration. “It was amazing! It was just a different experience being up close and learning how everything works and how the whole base is connected.” Since 2004, the Check-6 Foundation has been hosting children battling serious illnesses at Andrews and other military facilities. Hicks mentioned that their social worker at the hospital, knowing Clyde and his sister's interest in space and aviation, nominated him for the program through the foundation’s website. Christian Okoye, a retired NFL running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, and U.S. Air Force Capt. John Dansby, the 113th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron director of operations, served as Clyde’s wingmen. Dansby, who has been involved with the Pilot for a Day Program since 2021, expressed the honour he felt stepping up as Clyde’s wingman, particularly as his mother-in-law had just undergone successful cancer surgery the previous day in New York. “To culminate the day seeing the smiles on Clyde and his family’s faces as we have been navigating our own journey was the perfect alignment,” he said. “I was determined to be a wingman yesterday despite the competing priorities at the moment.” Clyde was celebrated as the 35th Pilot for a Day, with the Check-6 Foundation organizing these events at Andrews twice a year. Featuring: Clyde Hicks Where: Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, United States When: 23 Jul 2024 Credit: Patrick Griffith/Cover Images **EDITORIAL USE ONLY. MATERIALS ONLY TO BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH EDITORIAL STORY. THE USE OF THESE MATERIALS FOR ADVERTISING, MARKETING OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL PURPOSE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. MATERIAL COPYRIGHT REMAINS WITH STATED PHOTOGRAPHER AND/OR SUPPLIER.**