Update: Due to yucky weather, there was no rally last Sunday. It’s rescheduled for May 17. Young Eagles leader Harry Parsons says, “We did have some Cub Scouts show up, so we finagled a tour of the control tower.”
A free flight? Like in a real airplane? Yes, if you’re a kid. (A real kid, not just a kid at heart.)
I wish I were a kid! My dad was a mechanic in the Navy’s Blue Angels, so we traveled the country to see air shows and military bases. I’m awed by aviation. I keep hoping for a Top Gun for our time.
When my kids are big enough, I would love to expose them to The Young Eagles. YE is hosting the free flight rally this Sunday, and they are a part of the Experimental Aircraft Association. The local chapter is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, according to leader Harry Parsons, father of two in Bloomfield.
Twice a year, kids ages 8 to 17 are invited out to Essex County Airport for a free flight. Harry explains that volunteer pilots provide the aircraft, fuel and their time. “We expect twin- and single-engine aircraft and a helicopter,” Parsons said. Pilots do the event so parents “can expose their children and themselves to new experiences and share the freedoms we uniquely enjoy as American citizens.”
“Kids love it,” he adds. “They learn how airplanes fly, how the cars and houses look small from the air, and that their own potential in life is unlimited.”
Here is more information on this exciting free flight. Food is free too. Hot dogs, hamburgers and BBQ will also be served on the house…
Young Eagles Rally
Who: Kids ages 8 to 17
What: Opportunity to go flying in a real airplane and eat hot dogs, hamburgers and BBQ (maybe after the flight).
Where: Essex County Airport
125 Passaic Ave.
Fairfield, NJ 07004
When: Sunday, May 3, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Free!
Isn’t this a cool event? Would you go up in these airplanes?
Very cool. I wish my twins were old enough to participate…
I’d like to take my kids in the future, and I probably will, but the “Experimental” part of Experimental Aircraft concerns me. I believe they crash at higher rates than most small planes.
Kristen, it’s very cool that your dad was a Blue Angel mechanic. I can’t imagine the stuff you got to see up close. My dad worked in aircraft engineering and testing during and after WWII and then worked for companies that made aircraft parts and guidance systems. We got to see some cool stuff and went often to McGuire to see the airshow.