Ever since I was a child I wanted to fly. I remember the first time I ever went up in a light aircraft, a Cessna 172 as best I remember. It was a fund-raising event for the American Heart Association. Pilots gave of their time to take people for a 15-minute flight around the city. My mother made a donation ($5 per head I think at that time. Bear in mind this was years ago.) and she, my sister, and I went for our very first plane ride. It was EXHILARATING!
The Experimental Aircraft Association has a program called the EAA Young Eagles. It gives kids who dream of flying the opportunity to take their first flight free, courtesy of an EAA member! Since the program's inception in 1992, over 1.1 million young people have taken advantage of that opportunity too.
The website is one of the coolest I've ever seen …very interactive and very informative. (I'll be talking more about it in another post) And, get this, Harrison Ford – yes, the actor harrison ford – is the honorary chairman.