Helping getting youth involved in aviation
Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 5:41 p.m.
Read more: Local, Community
SAWYER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT -- Overcast skies and a gusty northeast wind didn't stop a group of kids from trying to see a different point of view today.
Since 1992, the Experimental Aircraft Association has been helping young people get involved in aviation through a program called "Young Eagles." And since it began, 1.4 million youth between the ages of 8 to 17 have been given the thrill of flying for free.
"We have pilots who just love their sport and want to share it, and this is a perfect opportunity to get together one-on-one with a young person and just show them what aviation is all about," said EAA Young Eagles Coordinator, Ted Kirkpatrick.
Cassidy Girad, a Young Eagle participant, had this to say, "Well, it's really cool to be able to see things over top of them; things look so much littler when you're up in the air."
But despite the weather conditions, participants were still able to take in the full experience of what it takes to fly an airplane.
