With live aircraft engines rumbling less than 100 feet away, “the whole event had a nice vibe to it,” said Joe Daichendt of Southwest Jet center, adding that “you could feel the excitement just build for the kids.”

Next came a trip to the scales for weighing of the young passengers and their entourages, with assignment to an aircraft accomplished by matching up passengers holding numbered balloons with pilots and aircraft who were watching for them.

“What’s really neat is that it was a huge effort by the volunteers,” Daichendt said, explaining that all the volunteers rose to the challenge when, sometimes, it took “a huge effort to move some of the kids in or out.”

Between a DC-3, various piston twins, and single-engine aircraft, volunteer pilots gave about 120 rides of 20 to 25 minutes above the Phoenix area.

Daichendt had volunteered to help out on the ground, but he quickly found himself going beyond his original plan of helping to provide ramp security for the children and their caregivers: Southwest Jet Center’s Cessna Citation Mustang had not been scheduled to fly in the event, but then came a change of plans.

“That’s where I got to see a lot of magic happen,” said Daichendt, who recalled the reaction of some of the parents to the sight of their kids getting a little time at the flight controls with him.

“They’d be blown away that their kids were flying a jet,” he said.

A red-carpet welcome—with cheerleaders, applause, and photographs—greeted the returning fliers, who were rewarded with a set of wings and a certificate for piloting the aircraft.

“It was a great thing to be a part of,” Daichendt said, confiding that participating in such a special event means “getting more out of it than you’re actually giving.”

The sometimes impromptu participation of so many members of the local corporate pilot ranks revealed a side of business aviation that often goes unnoticed, he said, adding, “A lot of these guys just came out. They all just volunteered.”

The Sky Kids organization, which held its first day of charity flying in 2012, said it is eager to extend the program by working with other organizations and communities to give more special-needs youth in metro Phoenix “a memorable opportunity to fly.”

The next Sky Kids event is scheduled for April 18, 2015, at Phoenix-Goodyear Airport.