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HEBER CITY — Budding aviators got a chance to try their hand at flying last week when local pilots gathered to take kids ages 8 to 17 for a spin.
Jordan Powers, 16, attended the Young Eagles program, excited to face his fear of heights. Powers has always wanted to join the Navy, said his mother, Audreay Powers, and he was invited to Saturday's event by one of his youth counselors.
One zero G-force nosedive and negative-G right turn later, he realized his dream of joining the Navy might expand to include working in the Navy's Air Force division.
"I was actually really excited about it," Audreay Powers said. "I think that it's a great opportunity to kind of instruct kids and start testing out the waters a little bit."
Saturday marked the first time Heber City Chapter 1519 of the Experimental Aircraft Association held a Young Eagles program. Thirty-three youths attended the event, held at Russ McDonald Airport, and nearly 10 of those were girls, according to Beth Ann Schneider, event and volunteer coordinator.
"It was a huge success," Schneider said.
Hannah Willis, 14, attended with her father, who was one of the volunteer pilots, and was able to take flight in a yellow Husky plane. Hannah has been flying with her parents in a Columbia since she was little, but Saturday's flight was different: She learned how to deal with turbulence.
I think that it's a great opportunity to kind of instruct kids and start testing out the waters a little bit.
–Audreay Powers
Hannah also received a free membership with the Experimental Aircraft Association and signed up for ground school.
The program is designed to get kids interested in aviation careers at young ages, said Schneider, who has been flying for more than 20 years. She was "hooked" after her first flight, she said, and wants to give other kids the same experience.
Six pilots volunteered their services and planes, which included a Cessna 172 and 182, Huskys, two planes built by the pilots — including a Kitfox — and one glider, an engineless plane that is towed into the air by a plane with an engine and then released.
"It's a whole other dimension of aviation," Schneider said.
About 20 volunteers made the event possible, as well as Heber City airport officials, OK3 Air and Soar Utah. The event was free for participants. Schneider estimated the kids would have had to pay $50 for their flight under other circumstances.
Earl Polenz, one of the volunteer pilots at the event, said the kids were tentative at first, but they left his plane smiling from ear to ear. Kids flew for about 30 minutes with a pilot, and those who were in two-seat planes were able to steer the craft for part of the flight.
More than 1.6 million Young Eagles have participated in the national program since 1992. Email: wevans@deseretnews.comTwitter: whitevs7
