Young Eagles programs offers free flights

Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter #328 is offering free flights to young people from 8-17 years old Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon at the Orofino Airport.

Youngster under eight years old may fly with the groups, if the pilots determine they are mature enough.

Johnny Stewart, Young Eagles coordinator for the chapter, said the goal of the annual event is to interest young people in flying and aviation. The average age of pilots is going up and EAA would like to see more young people become involved in aviation.

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. in the Beard hangar and continue until 11:30 a.m. Young people wishing to take the 15-20 minute flights must be accompanied by a guardian or parent to sign a release. After they are registered the young people will have a briefing and then fly with a local pilot.

Flights are planned up river to the Orofino Golf Course, then up Jim Ford Creek to climb out of the canyon. The flights will go over Dent Bridge and Orofino and Whiskey creeks. At the end of the flight, each youngster will receive a certificate signed by the pilot and Harrison Ford, honorary chairman of the EAA Young Eagles program this year. Their names will also be entered in a log book at the organization's headquarters in Oshkosh, WI. Stewart said it is the biggest log book in the world and has the names of 1.2 million young people from 90 different countries in it. Entries in the log book can be viewed at www.eaa.org.

Chapter #328 also holds Young Eagle events annually in Moscow and Lewiston.