Young Eagles experience thrill of flying
Staff writer
The Marion County Experimental Airplane Association (EAA) offered Young Eagle airplane rides Saturday morning at Hillsboro's Alfred Schroeder Field during the Marion County Fair.
Young Eagles, started by Chuck Yeager, was set up to give kids between the ages of eight and 17 the opportunity for their first airplane ride.
The rides were free and kids of all ages as well as parents enjoyed the opportunity to view the county from the air.
"It was really great," said Dwayne Wenger of Hesston. "This was my first time in a small plane."
Wenger and his daughter Alicia and niece Olivia Steckly from Nebraska were having a family reunion at Marion County Lake and saw their campsite as they flew over the lake.
The pilots get credit for the number of rides they give and can earn small gifts. Dick McLinden of Marion has been flying for 37 years.
"This is the most fun you can have as a pilot," said McLinden "taking a kid for his first airplane ride."
Passengers on the planes had to fill out an information sheet for insurance purposes and also to enter their names in the largest log book in the world. Only the kids names go in and the names number more than one million.
The Marion County EAA will be giving Young Eagle rides again this coming weekend in Marion and Sept. 11 in Herington.
