'I just love 'em': U.S. teen's Make-A-Wish lands her at Buffalo Airways - Action News
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'I just love 'em': U.S. teen's Make-A-Wish lands her at Buffalo Airways

When Skyler Stoba was recovering from Hodgkin's lymphoma, she had her pick of meeting anyone or doing anything in the world. Stoba, a plane enthusiast, chose to head north and check out Buffalo Airways' DC-3 planes.

Skyler Stoba, 15, is fascinated by planes and wants to pursue renewable plane technology

Skyler Stoba stands outside Buffalo Airways' Norseman 5 bush plane after a flight around Yellowknife Bay. The trip from San Francisco was the teen's wish after battling cancer. (Avery Zingel/CBC)

After beating Hodgkin's lymphoma, San Francisco teenSkylerStobagot to wish for anything in the world.

Naturally, it was a toss up between havinglunch withBeyonceorseeing Buffalo Airways Second World War planes.

Stoba, 15, disembarkedfrom Buffalo Airways' Norseman 5 bush plane on Tuesday after a flight around Yellowknife Bay, organized by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.Stobahad never been in a float plane before.

Yellowknife-based Buffalo Airways, which operates World War II-era aircraft,was featured in History Television'sIce PilotsNWT for several seasons.Stobaand her father, Ian, are fans of the series.

"It means a lot," saidStoba. "It was so hard just sort of going through the repetitive cycle of doing nothing, being in the hospital, being home, doing nothing. It was fun to plan a wish and have something to look forward to."

Skyler Stoba with her sister, Morgaine, far left, after an aerial tour of Yellowknife with Buffalo's president Joe McBryan and an unknown woman. (Avery Zingel/CBC)

Stobaflew up to Yellowknife to see the DC-3 aircraft with her dad and sister.

"It's not just the trip or the event," said IanStoba. "It's all the time before that, where it gave us something to think about, to talk about. It was really rough."

"I brought my sister because she likes to dabble in some science. She's a physicist," said the teenager.

Stobaproclaims she is "not a huge flier" but planes are her passion.

Buffalo Airways president JoeMcBryan, also known as"Buffalo Joe," tookStobaand her family for a spin in the bush plane, before touring the Buffalo hangar and the DC-3 aircraft this week.

"Any DC-3 is really great. I love really any piston-engine plane. There's a lot of history behind them," she said.

"They're big powerful planes and I just love 'em."

Functional Second World War planes are also tough to find.

"You can really only see them in a museum,"Stobasaid.

When the Make-A-Wish Foundation announced the trip, it had Nobel Prize-winning bioengineer FrancesArnold deliver the news. Arnoldbattledcancer in 2005.

Stobawants to pursue herown career in science and promote renewable technology in the airline industry, she said.

"I'm really interested in bringing renewable fuels into the plane community, specifically, working with hydrogen and bringing it into the commercial airlines," she said.

Stoba'slife after cancer is now more typical of a teenager: "finish high school, go to university then I want to either work at Boeing or become some sort of engineer with planes."