Young Eagles Take Flight

Children and young adults ages 8 to 17 learned what "the sky's the limit" means last weekend, when the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 106 hosted a Young Eagles Flight Rally at Lawrence Municipal Airport.

The EAA Young Eagles Program was launched in 1992 to get kids interested in aviation with flight experience. Over the years, volunteer EAA pilots have flown more than 1.5 million young people in more than 90 countries.

"I want to be a pilot," Trevor Austin, 10, said smiling ear-to-ear as he looked out at the dozens of small planes waiting on the tarmac.

Pilots took time to explain airplane mechanics, airplane operation and safety to the kids as part of a comprehensive aviation training lesson with a free flight. Once in the air, the kids were given a chance to fly the planes themselves; under close guidance from the instructors, of course.

"These planes are safer than the bigger commercial planes," EEA pilot and spokesperson Tom Walsh said casually before taking 8-year-old Jayden Carignan for a flight. "If we lose an engine, we can still do fine and just glide down anywhere. You can't do that in a bigger plane."

After making sure everyone was buckled into their seats and showing Jayden how the airplane works from propeller to rudder, Walsh moved the plane to the runway and explained the controls to Jayden as the craft ascended into the skies. Jayden took over the controls somewhere over the Merrimack Valley near the coast and the turned the plane around smoothly above Plum Island.

After touching back on ground, each kid received an official Young Eagle certificate. Sydney Schwalm, 8, enjoyed her flight so much that after she landed, the only thing she could say was, "Wow."

For more information about EAA and the Young Eagles program, visit www.eaa.org or www.youngeagles.org.

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