A group of Elkhart area flight enthusiasts hope to inspire a
love of aviation in kids by offering them free flights Saturday, June
21, at Elkhart Municipal Airport.
From 9 a.m. to noon, children ages 8 to 17
will be taken up in flights lasting five to 10 minutes, usually about
600 to 1,000 feet above ground, said Doug Busch, event coordinator.
The semiannual event, called Young Eagles, is orchestrated by the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 132.
Busch noted the planes used in these rides, despite the group’s name,
are not experimental and have been certified as aviation worthy by the
Federal Aviation Administration.
The day also will include tours of the
airport’s control tower, exhibitions of racing vintage planes and an
up-close look at a plane with its cowlings and skin removed so that its
inner workings are visible.
"Not every kid is going to want to be a
pilot, so we wanted to expose them to some of the other facets of
aviation,“ said Busch, an Osceola chiropractor and certified pilot whose
father was an aviation mechanic with Delta Airlines.
Busch said the national EAA was founded
about 40 years ago, and the local chapter has been putting on Young
Eagles events for about a decade, typically in June and October. He said
he knows several young adults who came to such events as children and
are now enjoying careers as commercial pilots. About 70 kids were taken
up in flights at last June’s event.
In addition to the free plane ride, the
children will receive a flight log book to record their flight, a
certificate and login information to receive a free online ground school
course, courtesy of Sporty’s Aviation.
Source: http://www.elkharttruth.com
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