Essex Man Takes Flight For The Ages

Austin Hanna doesn’t get around like he used to.

The 88-year-old longtime Essex resident is a World War II veteran and owned a business for decades. But in recent years, Hanna had trouble walking and moved into the Franklin Woods assisted living center.

Hanna’s niece, Debbi Mullinix, wants to ensure that just because her uncle has his limitations doesn’t mean he still can’t live life to the fullest. Over the last several months, Mullinix took Hanna out to eat, bowling and to the movies.

But, it was a recent drive that would provide Hanna with his greatest experience of all. Mullinix was driving Hanna around Essex when he asked her to make a sudden turn. That turn led the pair into the , which brought back many great memories to the senior citizen.

“I never even knew the skypark was there,” Mullinix said. “But Uncle Austin told me he remembers fondly how pilots at the skypark used to take people up for rides in their planes. That was 35 to 40 years ago, and he told me he’d love to go up in a plane one more time.”

Mullinix said she would look into it, but was more than a little surprised when members of the Essex Skypark agreed to Hanna’s request. On Saturday, Mullinix brought her uncle out the Essex Skypark’s pancake breakfast where he was treated to a ride he will likely never forget.

“Uncle Austin is in a wheelchair and doesn’t really walk much any more, so we didn’t think we’d be able to get him in the plane,” Mullinix said. “The pilots there went above and beyond what we hoped for.”

Max Lichty a 75-year-old pilot who has been flying for more than 50 years, agreed to take Hanna for a flight in a Cessna. The pair took off from the skypark and flew all over Baltimore County, including around Towson, Cockeysville, Essex and Dundalk during the 50-minute adventure.

“This man served our country during World War II,” Lichty said. “There’s no way I wasn’t going to do this for him. It was an honor and I’m glad we could make his wish come true.”

Essex Skypark Association member Tom Katzenberger said it is moments like that which separate the skypark from other aviation facilities in the region. He said the pilots at Essex Skypark are constantly looking for ways to reach out to community members and educate those young and old about aviation.

Katzenberger added it was experiences like the one Hanna had over the weekend that causes residents to be so passionate about wanting the skypark to remain a fixure in the area. Baltimore County , but is now

“This is why we are around,” Katzenberger said. “We want to make a positive impact on the community.”

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