Aug 17, 2018 2 min read

The Young Eagles will land at Washington County Airport on Saturday to provide free airplane rides for youths.

Members of the EAA Young Eagles program will offer the rides from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the facility in South Franklin Township. Youngsters 8 to 17 will be able to fly at no cost; adults will not be allowed on the planes, although parents – and only parents – must be on hand to register their children.

Signage will direct participants to parking and flight takeoff points.

Volunteer members of Chapter 842 of Fairmont, W.Va., will handle the flights, which will soar over Washington and the surrounding area. Richard Judy, the chapter coordinator, said the Young Eagles program began in 1992 and is designed to introduce youngsters to flying and give them an idea of what a career in aviation entails. The program is based in Oshkosh, Wis.

Judy said the program’s initial goal was to provide 1 million youngsters a free plane ride by the 100th anniversary of powered flight, in 2003, and that happened. The goal now is to introduce about 150,000 per year to flying.

The Fairmont group does four to five events annually in Southwestern Pennsylvania and north-central West Virginia, Judy said. This will be its first appearance at the county airport, he added, crediting Ron Corrado, co-owner of Skyward Aviation, for initially reaching out to the Young Eagles.

Skyward Aviation, based at the county airport, and the Washington County Redevelopment Authority, which manages the facility, are sponsoring the event.