Get Ready To Start Flying The Second Million

The number now stands in excess of 997,000. That's the new total of children who have been exposed to aviation through the Young Eagles program, an effort by which some 1 million kids were to be introduced to the world of flight by the 100th Anniversary of Manned Flight. It seems that they're going to beat the deadline with a good month to spare.

The brainchild of EAA staffers, the Young Eagles program is one of aviation's unmitigated successes... a way whereby the youth of America could see what aviation is all about in the only it makes sense... from the cockpit of an aircraft, in flight.

For over ten years, pilots all over the world took part in this amazing exercise. Thousands of pilots lent their skills, their planes, and their time to open a world of possibilities to kids who had never before looked down upon a horizon. Each Young Eagle pilot was required to be an EAA member, current in aircraft type, carry a current medical and provide their own liability insurance on aircraft they owned, or a non-owner's liability policy on rented or borrowed aircraft. In so doing, EAA provided an additional policy that offered $1 million of coverage, provided that each pilot carried at least $100,000 per passenger seat themselves.

History In The Making

When the 1 Millionth RugRat gets airborne, history will be made. And the lucky boy or girl will have an additional adventure ahead of them, to boot. Come December 17th, they will fly again... this time alongside the legendary Chuck Yeager during the massive Aero-Centennial Celebration at Kitty Hawk, NC, in further celebration of Orville and Wilbur Wrights Historic First Flight.

With less than three thousand kid-flights left to go, it seems pretty sure that this weekend will see this goal achieved, and a massive program's immense ambitions fulfilled. In the coming years, the payoff will be phenomenal... we'll see a world that will be filled with people whose opinion of aviation was shaped, in some small way, by the generosity and spirit of flyers all over the world. No matter the actual number; the Young eagles program is already an extraordinary success. We'll keep you updated as the goal is reached. Keep 'em flying, folks, keep 'em flying.

FMI: www.youngeagles.com