HAECO Group and Make-A-Wish Hong Kong have joined forces to make a young boy’s dream of becoming an aircraft engineer a reality.

Yan Dick – a 14-year-old who is passionate about aviation – visited HAECO Hong Kong maintenance as checks of the landing gear, engines and control panel of the cockpit on an Airbus A350 aircraft were performed.

Yan Dick was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2019, when it was discovered he had a brain tumour. The youngster enjoys making paper planes and builds model aircraft in his spare time, and aspires to be an aircraft engineer. To fuel his passion, he has reached out to aircraft manufacturers in the past to discuss technical specifications of aircraft and often researches how to make his airplanes fly better.

His father said Yan Dick “often talks about how the wings of a paper plane could be better designed to help it fly longer and further in the air. Our son has been sick for a long time, and we want to give him an unforgettable experience by making his wish come true. The whole arrangement is a surprise for Yan Dick and it has put a big smile on his face.”

Special arrangements were made by Make-A-Wish Hong Kong for Yan Dick to visit HAECO Hong Kong so that he could experience a day in the life of an aircraft engineer. To ensure Yan Dick was fully immersed in the work experience, he donned a HAECO uniform on arrival and began the day with an introductory training course provided by Vega Cheung, a licensed aircraft engineer at the Hong Kong facility. After the classroom training, the pair proceeded to the maintenance hangar, where Yan Dick was able to put his newly acquired training and knowledge into action.

Under close supervision by Vega and HAECO Hong Kong technical training manager SK Chan, Yan Dick ‘performed’ maintenance checks of the landing gear, engines as well as the control panel of the cockpit on an Airbus A350 aircraft. These tasks were completed successfully and signed-off by Yan Dick. At the end of the experience Yan Dick was awarded a certificate in recognition of his achievement.

Calvin Ng, wish manager at Make-A-Wish Hong Kong said: “Our mission is to make life-changing wishes of children with critical illnesses aged between 3 and 17 come true. It is hard to imagine a more difficult circumstance for Yan Dick and his family when the tumour was diagnosed. We believe every child has a dream that is unique to them, and we worked closely with Yan Dick’s family to realise his dream. This cannot be achieved alone, so we are very grateful for HAECO’s help in creating such an amazing experience for Yan Dick.”

HAECO’s general manager of training Clement Au commented: “We are always encouraged by youngsters who are passionate about aircraft engineering, and it has been an honour for us to help Yan Dick to fulfil his dream of becoming an aircraft engineer for a day.

“HAECO believes in positively impacting people’s lives within the communities in which we operate. We work together and strive to connect people in the community, giving each other joy, hope and support. The wish not only gave Yan Dick something to cherish, but also the strength to face the challenges ahead.”