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Starlight Flight heightens Christmas light tour
Ronnie Baker / Staff Photo:
The Starlight Flight Christmas light tours that run from 6 p.m. to midnight through Jan. 1 take passengers in a small plane over Dallas area cities.
By Jessica Rush, jrush@acnpapers.com
With Christmas just around the corner, some area residents may be scratching their heads trying to come up with a thoughtful gift for someone that seems to already have everything. But how about giving someone a new perspective?
Starlight Flight’s Christmas light tours do just that and bring a whole new meaning to looking at Christmas decorations around the neighborhood. The half-hour and full-hour flights that depart from Addison provide a rare view of the downtown Dallas skyline and well-lit neighborhoods, even flying over Frisco Square’s unique light display.
“The lights are the best,” said David Snell, pilot and owner of Starlight Flight. “The kids like them, and the adults like them.”
Frisco resident Jeff Trykoski, whose company organized the lighting display in downtown Frisco Square, also has one of the original and largest residential computerized Christmas light displays in North Texas. Roughly 85,000 lights are synchronized to holiday music.
Snell likes to take his passengers over the Trykoski home every year and has even taken Jeff and his wife, Bridgette, to see the area light displays from the air.
“It’s really neat to see everything from a unique perspective from a couple thousand feet in the air,” Jeff said. “It’s a lot of fun to do our part to help brighten Frisco during the Christmas season.”
Their 2010 light show begins Sunday evening with new surprises and music on 4015 Bryson Drive. The Trykoski family accepts canned good donations in a collection box for Frisco Family Services Center.
Customers who reserve their flights can customize them and make them as personal as they want with add-ons like roses or by bringing along a bottle of champagne. The company has seen some unusual requests as well. For example, two gentlemen wanted to use the plane tour to look for a missing speedboat.
Snell, who has been flying for nearly two decades, has seen around 250 marriage proposals on his tours from men who want to “pop the question” in the sky. Snell said a firefighter once went to great lengths to stage a pretend fuel spill to get his fire truck and friends involved in an elaborate proposal on the tarmac.
Phil Jackson of Arlington surprised his girlfriend, Dealena Garrison, with an hour-long Christmas Light Flight last week for her birthday.
“I wanted something romantic for her,” Jackson said. “Both of us really enjoyed it. My favorite part personally was flying around downtown, seeing the different buildings and the lights. Most people have been on a plane, but this is on a low level where you can actually see things.”
Even individuals who have never seen the inside of an airplane will get a surprise from the experience. The dual-controlled plane allows the front seat passenger to fly along with the pilot, who is FAA certified as a flight instructor.
“Usually the white-knuckled flyers who are scared to get up in the plane are our best referrals,” Snell said. “We’ve had 4-year-old kids fly the plane. They are actually better than the adults, because they listen and they’re easier to coach.”
Starlight Flight also gives back to other children by donating flights to nonprofit organizations like Make-A-Wish Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“It’s just I have the ability to do it, and I do it,” Snell said.
For information on Christmas Light Flights and other tours, visit www.starlightflight.com or call 817-588-1817 for flight booking requests.
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