Youths ages 8 to 17 have an opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of London and the surrounding area at the Young Eagles Rally set for the morning of June 25 at Madison County Airport.
Chapter 9 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is offering free airplane rides. Pre-registration is available at https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa9/young-eagles. Time slots are available between 9 a.m. and noon. Walk-ups are welcome, as well. A parent must be on hand to sign off on paperwork.
Rides typically last 15 to 20 minutes and run from London to Springfield to South Charleston before heading back to London where the planes fly over downtown London, the London City Schools campus, and the grounds of the Farm Science Review before landing back at the airport. During the flight, kids may get the chance to handle the controls.
Founded in 1992, the purpose of the Young Eagles program is to give youths the chance to fly in a general aviation airplane, educate them about careers in aviation, and generally inspire them when it comes to the world of aviation.
To date, EAA 9 has provided rides to 8,755 children locally. Nationwide, EAA has flown more than 2 million youths. The all-volunteer group is made up of professional and private pilots.
EAA 9 usually holds several Young Eagles rallies each year, including events at the Madison County Airport, Bolton Field in Columbus, and Ohio State University’s Don Scott Field in Columbus. In addition to the June 25 event, the group will hold a second event at the Madison County Airport on Aug. 27.
Visit https://chapters.eaa.org/eaa9 to learn more about EAA 9 and the Young Eagles program.
Madison County Airport is located at 1281 U.S. Route 40, London.