Back to all newsRose Hill, N. C. – September 8, 2020: Sometimes the simple things of life give us the greatest pleasure.
Perhaps a walk along the beach on a refreshing summer morning or jumping in a pile of freshly raked
leaves on a cool autumn afternoon. For Dana Stone, one of her treasured adventures is to visit the
Greenville, South Carolina Downtown Airport. Dana is the 45-year old special needs daughter of former
pilot Woody Stone, who gratefully takes her to the airport at least once a week to pose in front of her
favorite airplane on the ramp that day. When they get back home, Woody prints the photos and Dana
adds them to her “airplane notebook” for safekeeping.
Dana’s father relates that after seeing House of Raeford Farms’ Gulfstream 450 in early August, “It
became one of her all-time favorites. She carries the photo with her and shows it to anyone who will
take the time to look and listen.” Using the “FlightAware” app, Dana asks her dad to check every couple
of days to see the location of the Gulfstream. Woody continues, “We wanted to let you know that
Raeford Farms made a hit with my girl, and quite frankly, me too!”
Already a heartwarming story but it does not end there. Fortunately, House of Raeford’s director of
aviation and chief pilot, Bruce Bullock, along with pilot Daniel Cain, had another trip planned to
Greenville in late August. This time flying the company’s King Air 200, they arranged for Dana and
Woody to meet them at the airport for a private tour of the aircraft.
“Dana has had offers to take a look inside other airplanes, but she is very timid about climbing steps and
has not taken the opportunity,” Woody revealed. “Perhaps we can coax her into trying this time. That
would be wonderful.”
That is exactly what happened. Bruce and Daniel made Dana feel comfortable, and before long, she was
up the steps and sitting in the co-pilot’s seat. Dana’s smile illustrated the joy she experienced.
“Your kindness touched a LOT of people, and that says much about you guys,” Woody shared with Bruce
after the visit. “Dana told everyone at church last Sunday how excited she was to meet you and go
inside the King Air. We even tracked your flight back to Kenansville just to be sure ‘you got home
safely,’ as Dana said.”
House of Raeford is grateful for the connection with Dana and her father. As Bruce said, “It was very
touching to witness a dad’s love for his daughter.” Every now and then, humble acts of caring make
memories for a lifetime.
