AMES, Iowa — Have you ever wanted to fly in a helicopter? Thanks to an Iowa foundation, you've got a chance. And it's helping support military veterans in the process.
It's hard to match the experience of riding in a helicopter, and that's why Flights for the Brave is sharing the experience with Iowans. It's a project started by the Patriot Peak Foundation.
Jeff Dentlinger, the organization's founder and U.S. Army veteran, got the idea from an unusual place: a bet with a friend in the National Guard.
"He started telling me that there's no way I could get it done. And I was like, 'I can get it done'. And you challenge me to something I'm gonna do it and then I'm gonna do it twice just to prove it wasn't fluke," Dentlinger said.
Now, partnering with the Friends of Army Aviation, he's made good on that bet.
Using a Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopter, he's giving Iowans the ride of a lifetime. Ronald Langel was on Thursday's first flight. A former U.S. Army medic who served in Vietnam, his flight was an opportunity to find closure over 51 years later.
"The ride today, I knew that nobody was going to be shooting at us. You always take that risk, you always understand that risk when you're in the air in a warzone that somebody can potentially shoot you out of the air," Langel said.
RELATED: 'My soul is nourished': Veteran uses coffee, camaraderie to help other veterans express themselves
For Dentlinger, providing that opportunity for veterans is what Flights for the Brave is all about.
"It's the closure. It's the camaraderie, and it's to help. Everybody needs that help. They need to talk, they need to be with their family and friends and they need experiences together," Dentlinger said.
Flights for the Brave is flying out of Ames on Sept. 9, 10, and 12. On September 11, they will be in Boone, but there will be a flyover of the Cy-Hawk game following the National Anthem.
Tickets can be purchased online here or in-person before a flight.
WATCH: Here's how Iowa veterans can get training for STEM jobs