Scott Wentworth, 9, took flight Tuesday afternoon at the Austin Municipal Airport with pilot Bruce Budahn after he won a certificate for a free 30-minute airplane ride.

“I couldn’t wait for today,” he said excitedly before the flight.

Scott, a student at Banfield Elementary School, was a third-place winner in the 6-9 year old category of the 2015 International Aviation Art Contest. Winners were formally announced and recognized at an official ceremony held in the Commemorative Air Force Hangar at South St. Paul Airport March 13. Scott explained how he went about his drawing.

“I split my page into sections and did different things that would probably be in the air base,” Scott said.

He hoped other students would try their best and draw well during future contests.

“Do what they’re good at drawing and do what they’re good at too,” he said.

Scott was most excited to hear Budahn explain how to fly the small plane. He has been on a plane before and said he was more excited than nervous. Scott’s mother, Sarah, on the other hand, was a bit nervous watching her son and other two children Sophia and Nathaniel climb aboard the small aircraft.

“Because I’m a mom,” she laughed. “I keep thinking he should be the one that’s nervous, but he’s not nervous at all; it’s me.”

Sarah said Scott took the drawing contest seriously and was excited to turn in his final product.

“It was exciting because he was so excited just preparing for it, and his teacher really inspired him at school,” Sarah said. “… And he brought it home and was working on it at home, and he was just really excited and motivated and dedicated to it, so it was really fun to watch him do that.”

She said getting the letter in the mail was also a big excitement for Scott.

“The goal of the aviation art contest is to continually encourage young people to use their artistic talents, while helping them to become more familiar with aviation, math, engineering and the sciences,” Cassandra Isackson, director of MnDOT office of Aeronautics, said in a press release.

Winning entries in each age category received the certificate for a 30-minute flight and a custom gift bag from Dick Blick Art Materials. The students, their families and guests also received a private tour of the Commemorative Air Force Museum at South St. Paul Airport.

The first- through third-place winners in each category were entered into the national level of the contest. Judging at the national level was completed in Washington, D.C. After reaching nationals, Scott’s drawing didn’t move on to the international level, but he still had a lot of fun participating in the contest.

The contest for 2015 was co-sponsored locally by Dick Blick Art Materials of Roseville, Minnesota.