HAECO and Make-A-Wish fulfil life-changing wish for young boy aspiring to become an aircraft engineer

HAECO Group and Make-A-Wish Hong Kong have joined hands to fulfil a young boy’s dream of becoming an aircraft engineer. Diagnosed with osteosarcoma and a brain tumour in 2019, 14-year-old Yan Dick has always been fascinated with aircraft and aspires to become an aircraft engineer. During his spare time, he enjoys making paper planes and builds model aircraft. To fuel his passion in aviation, he even reached out to aircraft manufacturers to discuss technical specifications of aircraft and often researches on how to make his airplanes fly better.

Special arrangements were made for Yan to visit HAECO Hong Kong so that he could experience a day in the life of an aircraft engineer. To ensure he was fully immersed in the whole work experience, he put on the HAECO uniform on arrival and began the day with an introductory training by Vega Cheung, a licensed aircraft engineer. After the classroom training, they proceeded to the maintenance hangar, where Yan 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 “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. The unique experience came to an end with an award certification to Yan in recognition of his achievement.

Clement Au, General Manager of Training, said: “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 something to cherish upon, but also strength to face the challenges ahead.