On Wednesday, February 12, 2014, Meridian had the honor of hosting a very special guest. His name is Joseph, a 13 year old boy from Tanzania. Joseph, was born with only the use of one leg and part of his left arm. He has been raised at Living Water orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania. Through the generosity of donors and the orphanage he was brought to New York to be fitted for three new prosthesis at Allied Prosthetics in Ozone Park. Joseph’s dream is to be a pilot, so his request to visit a local airport found its way to us, and we were happy to show him around.
During his visit, Joseph and his guardians from the orphanage were given a tour of the Meridian FBO, known as Meridian Teterboro. His tour started in the 1st floor executive lobby, where he was able to observe the hustle and bustle of passengers and pilots coming and going. Next on the stop was the pilot lounge on the 2nd floor, which included a quick stop at the gym and the movie theater. The tour then moved upstairs to the Charter area, where he was amazed by the view from the 3rd floor balcony overlooking the Meridian ramp and the New York City skyline.
The highlight of his tour culminated in the main hangar, where Joseph was able to climb onboard a private jet, and was given a quick flying lesson by Meridian Air Charter’s Director of Operations, Emil Iannone. We hope that Joseph and his friends enjoyed their experience here, and we look forward to his return back to the New York area. After all, we’re always looking for a good pilot.