Blind kids visited the airport with the support of ACF
Last year, I visited Liszt Ferenc Airport and the Aeropark Budapest with two of our students from the National Institute for the Blind. I worked for the Hungarian airline Malév for 27 years, so I really wanted to show the kids the hints. We had a presentation and we fingered the huge airplanes. My former colleagues invited us as their guests, so we didnt have to pay for the tickets. They even took us to the airport and back to the school by car. After the visit, I posted our experiences in Malév crew Facebook group and I got so many volunteer offers that I decided to make a bold move: we were take the whole school to the program.
We got a cash donation for the tickets and from my former colleagues and they even offered their help during the visit. The school director supported me. Only transportation had to be organized. I asked Erika, secretary of AmCham Foundation (ACF) to help us as a stable and reliable partner of ours. Thanks to her, we got the a grant from ACF and AVIS company to cover the costs of the bus.
Finally the day came and we headed for the airport with 94 people on board. The kids had a wonderful experience and learned the secret life of flying. They could smell the kerosine, hear the voice of the planes engines and get a lot of information. We wawed all the pilots rolling by us on the runway. What an adventure! Our visit ended in the Aeropark by boarding on Il 18 and TU 154 models.
The kids are full of unforgettable memories. As am I. It was a great teamwork of great people.
Emőke Petneházy
