Weather Postponed Planned January Event

Orlando-area youngsters, ages 8-17, will have a chance to take to the skies on Saturday, February 9 - weather permitting -- as Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 74 hosts a Young Eagles Flight Rally at Kissimmee-Gateway airport. The original Young Eagles Flight Rally scheduled for January 19 was cancelled due to inclement weather, and has been rescheduled.

The rally is part of the EAA Young Eagles Program, created to interest young people in aviation. Since the program was launched in 1992, Volunteer EAA pilots have flown more than 1.1 million young people who reside in more than 90 countries.

"Free airplane rides are just part of the Flight Rally," said Stephen Gatlin, Young Eagles Rally Coordinator for the event. "We hope to build one-to-one relationships between pilots and young people, giving a new generation a chance to learn more about the possibilities that exist in the world of aviation."

Pilots at the event will also explain more about their airplanes allowing young people to discover how airplanes work and how pilots ensure safety is the prime concern before every flight.

Following the flight, each young person will receive a certificate making them an official Young Eagle. Their name will then be entered into the "World’s Largest Logbook," which is on permanent display at the EAA Air Adventure Museum in Oshkosh, WI. The Logbook is also accessible on the Internet at the Young Eagles website.

Each pilot volunteers their time and aircraft so the flights can be provided free of charge for interested young people.

FMI: www.youngeagles.org, www.eaa74.org