They say when you’re planning for your future, the sky is the limit. For a group of kids at the Alberta Aviation Museum Saturday, that saying proved correct.
The Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, (COPA) held its annual “Free Flight Day” at the museum.
The idea is to encourage interest in the aviation industry by providing a chance for kids to interact with planes and pilots. Participants learned about the science and mechanics of flying, and kids over eight got to take a free flight.
“It’s kind of a way to introduce them to the industry and hopefully gain a little bit of popularity there, and have some people perhaps start a career or just get their license for casual purposes,” says Dion Beier the organizer of the event.
Last year, COPA had about 40 kids come out and this year, over 120.
“Awesome! Lots of turbulence and the landing was great,” says Evan Keefe.
“It was really fun, I saw all the places in Edmonton, I even saw my school, it was fun!” describes Liam Keefe.
“It was really fun for my first little plane ride. I flew over my school, we flew over our houses and there was some cool stuff,” adds Tyler Empson.
All of the pilots flying volunteered their time, and some of the fuel was donated as well. Since 2009, over 6,000 kids have flown under the “COPA for kids” aviation program.
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