Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Area residents who are ages 8-17 will have a chance to take to the skies on June 24 as the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter No. 386 hosts a Young Eagles Flight Rally at Austin Municipal Airport.

The rally is part of the EAA Young Eagles Program, created to interest young people in aviation. Since the program was launched in 1992, Volunteer EAA pilots have flown more than two million young people who reside in more than 90 countries.

“Free airplane rides are just part of the Flight Rally,” said Tim Hansen, spokesman for the event. “We hope to build one-to-one relationships between pilots and young people, giving a new generation a chance to learn more about the possibilities that exist in the world of aviation.”

Pilots at the event will also explain more about their airplanes allowing young people to discover how airplanes work and how pilots ensure safety is the prime concern before every flight.

Following the flight, each young person will receive a certificate making them an official Young Eagle.

Their name will then be entered into the “World’s Largest Logbook,” which is on permanent display at the EAA Air Adventure Museum in Oshkosh, WI. The Logbook is also accessible on the web at www.youngeagles.org.

Along with flight rallies, EAA members also fly Young Eagles on an individual basis. Each

pilot volunteers their time and aircraft so the flights can be provided free of charge for interested young people.

Those planning to attend the flight rally are asked to register at www.yeday.org/ before

June 24. Flights will begin at 9 a.m. and close at noon. Each Young Eagle should be

accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Additional information about EAA and the EAA Young Eagles program is available on the Internet. Access to EAA’s Home Page is available at www.eaa.org . The Young Eagles web page is www.youngeagles.org .