A second annual Fun Flight Day at the 100 Mile House Airport saw a good turnout with close to 40 young passengers enjoying free flights with pilots from the 100 Mile Flying Club on Sept. 26.
The local secondary school and elementary school students took turns going up in the air and circling the 100 Mile House area for about 30 minutes in three different Cessna 172s, piloted by Len Aune, Jack Dekens and Ursula Hart.
The students learned about the theory of flight and talked about engines and aircraft safety before going up in the air.
“We're hoping we can create a spark or two amongst some of the kids to maybe consider a career as a pilot in the future,” says Frank Schlueter, the club's current president.
“There are of course many aspects to a flying career. It doesn’t have to be just pilots – it could be as an aircraft maintenance engineer; it could be as an air traffic controller. There are a lot of avenues.”
The inaugural event in June 2014 drew fewer than 10 flyers, and the club members were happy to see a bigger turnout this time with families taking plenty of photos and enjoying food and refreshments after the flights.
“We think it's a good thing to do our part as a club, and to introduce kids to aviation,” Schlueter says, adding his thanks to the community for being a part of the event and the District of 100 Mile House for providing barricades.