Eight local veterans soared through the Dover skies Thursday in a restored World War II biplane, giving some a once-in-a-lifetime experience and others a chance to relive the past.

The Dream Flights program gave senior veterans from five different long-term care facilities across Delaware the opportunity to take flight, representing four branches of the military: the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines.

The initiative honors senior veterans living in long-term care communities by giving them a ride in a restored, open-cockpit World War II plane, which was used to train soldiers at the time.

The oldest veteran to suit up was 99-year-old World War II Navy veteran Leon Hart, who says climbing into a biplane—the same type used when he first put on the uniform—was an experience he never thoug

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