Girls from the Bay Area took to the skies on Saturday during the first Young Eagles Girl’s Day at Reid-Hillview County Airport in San Jose.
Two hundred girls and 26 pilots participated in the event held by Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 62. For many of the girls, it was their first time in a small airplane.
The volunteer pilots discussed the structure of the planes, navigation and the cockpit instruments, and the aspiring pilots logged the flight and received a certificate at the completion of the day.
Launched in 1992, the Young Eagles program has dedicated 30 years to giving youth ages 8 to 17 their first airplane ride. The mission is to introduce kids to the world of aviation and perhaps inspire them to become pilots themselves.