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Chattanooga veterans took open-cockpit rides in a World War II-era biplane

Dream Flights gave three residents of Beò of Chattanooga free rides in a restored biplane. Air Force veteran Joe DePrimo, 79, flew after a stroke that left him paralyzed on one side.

Verified · Source: NewsChannel 9 (WTVC)Oct 13, 2026 · 1 min read
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A yellow Boeing Stearman biplane parked on grass at an airfield
Illustrative photo of a Stearman biplane in France. This is not the Dream Flights plane, and the Chattanooga veterans are not pictured. Rundvald / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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The reporting lives at NewsChannel 9 (WTVC). Our summary is checked against it, and we link it on every story.

Read it on NewsChannel 9 (WTVC)

Three residents of the retirement community Beò of Chattanooga took free open-cockpit rides on October 1 through Dream Flights, NewsChannel 9 reported. The nonprofit flies veterans and spouses for about 15 minutes, roughly 1,000 feet up, in a biplane restored to World War II specifications.

Joe DePrimo, a 79-year-old Air Force veteran, had a stroke a couple of years ago that left him paralyzed on his left side. He had not expected to get into an airplane. Pilots helped him aboard, and he buckled in. Two other residents flew the same day, including 79-year-old Gary Hedges, who spent 20 years in the Navy, the Army, and the Air Force, and 82-year-old Charles Smith.

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