BULLHEAD CITY — Young people with an urge to fly can do so for free this Saturday.
Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport is hosting its third annual Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles Day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The event will be held at Landmark Aviation on the airport campus.
Pre-registration for the event is available during regular business hours through Friday at the Airport Administration office. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. Children between the ages of 8 and 17 are eligible for a free flight and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at registration.
“We love doing this event,” said Jeremy Keating, director of the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport. “Not only does it give young people an introduction to aviation, it’s a lot of fun for everyone involved.”
The EAA Young Eagles program was launched in 1992 to give interested young people an opportunity to go flying in a general aviation airplane. The flights are offered free of charge.
“The Kingman EAA Chapter 765 has been our partner in Young Eagles Day since our first event and we’re delighted to have them with us again this year,” Keating said. “The pilots volunteer their time and their aircraft.”
Volunteers from the Mohave County Airport Authority, Landmark Aviation, Civil Air Patrol Mohave Valley Composite Squadron, and Mohave High School JROTC will also be on hand to make the day fun and safe for everyone involved.
“We couldn’t hold this event without the help of these volunteers and I can’t thank them enough for the effort they put into making Young Eagles Day a success,” Keating said.
Last year more than 120 young people flew with the airport’s Young Eagles Day.
“We would love to break that record this year,” Keating said. “Our goal is to introduce young people to aviation and to plant the seed for a potential career in aviation — it is said aviation will be facing a pilot shortage in the next decade. The young people of today are our next generation pilots and we want to get them excited now.”
Since 1992, more than 1.6 million Young Eagles have enjoyed a flight through the program. Young Eagles have been registered in more than 90 countries and have been flown by more than 42,000 volunteer pilots.
Once a young person becomes a part of the Young Eagles program through a free flight, they have opportunities to participate in other programs including online ground school, the EAA Air Academy or EAA scholarships, Keating said.
For more information about the Young Eagles program, go to www.youngeagles.org.
For more information about Young Eagles Day at the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport, call 928-754-2134.