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Glenwood Springs youth offered opportunity to soar

Airport hosts flying event for local children

A 1942 Boeing E75 was one of the planes on display for visitors to enjoy up close at the 2018 Aviation Expo at the Glenwood Springs Airport.
Kyle Mills/Post Independent

Kids with an eye on the sky have an opportunity to stick their heads in the clouds Saturday at the Glenwood Springs Municipal Airport.

Young Eagles Rally Day offers youths, ages 8-17, a free opportunity to fly with a local pilot, Airport Manager Meredith Fox said.

“It’s important to keep aviation alive in the younger generations with events like these,” Fox explained. “Pilots are hard to come by in this day and age.”



Participants must pre-register at http://www.yeday.org to participate, and a parent or guardian must be present to sign waivers.

A pancake breakfast is scheduled to kickoff the three-hour event, and Fox said she anticipates about 40 children will participate.



Children also have an opportunity to enter a raffle for a free helicopter ride with Classic Air Medical, which is slated to have a helicopter and crew on hand to introduce attendees to the world of aviation outside of fixed-wing aircraft.

“The kids will go through a pre-flight checklist just like the pilots do,” Fox said. “Then, they’ll meet their pilot and go for a short ride.”

The event is made possible by a number of local pilots donating their time, planes and fuel to the event, she added.

Once airborne, pilots will fly the kids south toward Carbondale before looping around and landing back in Glenwood Springs. Flight times will be about 15 minutes, Fox said.

“It’s kind of like an amusement ride for these kids,” she said.

Glenwood Springs spokesperson Bryana Starbuck said the experience could help widen the children’s perspective and help them better determine what options they have in the future.

“Events like this provide our youth a chance to learn more about the world from a hands-on experience,” Starbuck said.

Reporter Ike Fredregill can be reached at 970-384-9154 or by email at ifredregill@postindependent.com.


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