Over a steamy Memorial Day weekend, students from across the region gathered at the Carroll County Regional Airport in Westminster for the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles Program.
Teaming up with the STEM program at Hereford High School in Parkton, the program took 10 students on flights to teach them about aviation.
Launched in 1992, the Young Eagles Program has dedicated more than 30 years to giving kids ages 8 to 17 their first free ride in an airplane, according to its website. It is the only program of its kind, with the sole mission of introducing and inspiring kids in the world of aviation.
More than 2.3 million young people have taken a free introductory flight through the program, according to the website. The flights are given by EAA member volunteers who allow students to follow along at the controls of the airplane to get a feel for what being a pilot is all about.
Alan Billings, Young Eagles Program coordinator for the Westminster chapter, has flown a number of students in the program over the years. He said he wanted to be a part of the program to help introduce students to aviation.
“It wasn’t until I was in my late teens when I was able to get a flight and start taking lessons and this could give [students] a jump start on that if that’s their desire,” he said. “It would have been a great thing for me to have around at the time and I wanted to see if I could get our chapter to support it and help some of the people in the area who are interested in aviation.”
On a sizzling Sunday afternoon at Carroll County Regional Airport, students waited for their turn to take flight in a two-seater airplane.
After watching the airplanes take off, parents tracked their children’s flights in real time on their phones using FlightAware, while 70s hits such as Elton John’s “Rocket Man” played on a nearby radio.
Beckett Gohlinghorst, 15, of Glencoe, one of the students who took flight, said he wanted to be a part of the program because it gave him the opportunity to experience flying first-hand.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve thought that rockets and airplanes are really really cool and this is an opportunity to go up in one,” he said. “Giving me the opportunity and other kids the opportunity to do that is amazing.”
Aya Elamrani-Zerifi, 15, of Sparks, is also a student at Hereford who took part in the Young Eagles Program.She said it’s important because it introduces students to aviation at a young age.
“It is important to educate the future generation and encourage them to do these programs and pursue these opportunities because [aviation] might be my future career path,” she said. “It’s great that I’m getting exposed to it early on.”
For more information about the Young Eagles Program, visit eaa.org.
